Syphilis and cirrhosis: a lethal combination in a XIX century individual identified from the Medical Schools Collection at the University of Coimbra (Portugal)

Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz

Célia Lopes²  Mary Lucas Powell¹  Ana Luísa Santos² 

[1] ,University of Coimbra Center for Anthropology and Health Department of Life SciencesCoimbra,Portugal

关键词: syphilis;    paleopathology;    therapy;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0074-02762010000800016

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

Syphilis is a chronic infection that is categorized by a three-stage progression. The tertiary stage may affect bones and produce distinctive skull lesions called caries sicca. This paper aims to present an unusual case of syphilis associated with a diagnosis of cirrhosis, which was recorded as the cause of death in a 28-year-old female in 1899. The appearance and distribution of the lesions were compatible with acquired syphilis, as observed in the skull from the Medical Schools Collection of the University of Coimbra. However, the cause of death was recorded as "hypertrophic cirrhosis of the liver", this is a condition that is compatible with several liver disorders, including a primary liver disorder, such as cirrhosis provoked by alcoholism, infection of the liver by syphilis pathogens or by damage to the liver from the use of mercury compounds, which was the common treatment for syphilis at the time. This paper represents a contribution to the understanding of the natural evolution of syphilis.

【 授权许可】

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