Cerebrospinal Fluid Changes and Clinical Features of Neurosyphilis Compared with Latent Syphilis Infection in the Central Nervous System: A Cross-Sectional Study

Yumei Ge; Xiaoyu Gou; Xiaoyan Dong; Yumeng Peng; Fangfang Yang

doi:10.2147/IDR.S371446

Cerebrospinal Fluid Changes and Clinical Features of Neurosyphilis Compared with Latent Syphilis Infection in the Central Nervous System: A Cross-Sectional Study

Infect Drug Resist. 2022 Sep 9:15:5377-5385. doi: 10.2147/IDR.S371446. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Yumei Ge^#¹, Xiaoyu Gou^#¹, Xiaoyan Dong^{1

2}, Yumeng Peng^{1

3}, Fangfang Yang⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Laboratory Medicine Center, Zhejiang Provincial People's Hospital, Affiliated People's Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
² The Second Medical College, Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, Hangzhou, 310014, People's Republic of China.
³ Department of Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics, Bengbu Medical College, Bengbu, 233030, People's Republic of China.
⁴ Department of Clinical Laboratory, The Third Hospital of Mianyang (Sichuan Mental Health Center), Mianyang, 621000, People's Republic of China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Purpose: At present, there is no gold standard or unified standard for the diagnosis of neurosyphilis, and the rate of misdiagnosis is high. The diagnosis of neurosyphilis is still challenging. This study compared the clinical indicators between neurosyphilis and latent syphilis infection in the central nervous system. The purpose of this study was to provide evidence for the differential diagnosis and prognosis of patients with neurosyphilis and latent syphilis infection of the central nervous system.

Methods: The clinical data of 59 patients with neurosyphilis and 30 patients with latent syphilis infection in the nervous system from 2008 to 2021 were analyzed. The cerebrospinal fluid and serum biochemical markers were evaluated for all patients.

Results: CSF-nucleated cells, CSF-TRUST, CSF-totalprotein and CSF-IgG (P<0.001) were significantly different between neurosyphilis and latent syphilis infection in the central nervous system. CSF-TRUST titer was positively correlated with D-D concentration (r = 0.274, P < 0.05), sodion (r =0.251, P < 0.05), respectively. Glucose concentration is the most unreliable in the diagnosis of neurosyphilis (AUC=0.445, P=0.395), and TRUST combined with nucleated cells and total protein is the most accurate in the diagnosis of neurosyphilis (AUC=0.989, P<0.001).

Conclusion: The combination of TRUST, nucleated cell count and totalprotein detection in CSF can distinguish the patients with neurosyphilis and latent syphilis infection in the central nervous system, which has a significant diagnostic value.

Keywords: detection index; diagnosis; latent syphilis infection; neurosyphilis.

Grants and funding

Zhejiang Provincial Natural Science Fund (LY20H200008). The funding body did not participate in the design of the study; the collection, analysis, and interpretation of the data; or in the writing the manuscript.