Clinical and laboratory evaluation 9 months after the benzathine penicillin treatment in secondary syphilis patients

Syphilis is one of the sexually transmitted infections caused by Treponema pallidum, having clinical features that vary depending on its stage. Early stage consists of primary, secondary, and early late syphilis, whereas advanced stage consists of late latent and tertiary syphilis. The serological examination of syphilis is used for presumptive diagnosis. Venereal disease research and laboratory (VDRL) test and treponema pallidum hemagglutination assay (TPHA) are among the serological tests that are easy to conduct and inexpensive. Proper diagnosis and treatment are necessary not only to reduce transmission rates but also to avoid complications that occur in the advance stage of this disease because no single typical dermatological clinical features are present at this stage. Follow-up and response to treatment should be considered. By comparing the post-treatment VDRL titer with the titer at the start of treatment, a serologic response after treatment may be evaluated, whether the patient is cured or not. Here, a case of a 55 year-old man who suffered from secondary syphilis is reported based on anamnesis, physical examination, and investigation of VDRL and TPHA. The patient was treated with benzathine penicillin with a single dose of 2.4 million UI intramuscularly and provided a good clinical response. On VDRL clinical and laboratory evaluations after 9 months of treatment, there was significant progress, meaning the treatment was success.