April 2026 in “Frontiers in Medicine” A 26-year-old male was initially misdiagnosed with alopecia areata but was later found to have secondary syphilitic alopecia following non-penetrative sexual contact. The patient had moth-eaten patchy alopecia and a small erythematous papule on the penile frenulum. Serological tests confirmed syphilis, with an RPR titer of 1:32 and a positive TPPA. He was treated with benzathine penicillin G, 2.4 million units intramuscularly weekly for 3 weeks, resulting in complete hair regrowth within 3 months without scarring.
4 citations
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May 2022 in “Frontiers in Medicine” About 11% of patients with secondary syphilis had Syphilitic Alopecia, which usually improved with treatment.
1 citations
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July 2024 in “Indian Journal of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and AIDS” Syphilitic alopecia can be effectively diagnosed and treated, leading to hair regrowth.
January 2021 in “Our Dermatology Online” A young man's hair loss was the only sign of syphilis, which improved after treatment.
11 citations
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May 2020 in “Anais Brasileiros de Dermatologia” Dermoscopy helps diagnose syphilitic alopecia, and treatment with penicillin can regrow hair.
6 citations
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April 2015 in “Infection” Treatment with benzylpenicillin and prednisolone cured the patient's syphilis and hair loss.
32 citations
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July 2017 in “Dermatology practical & conceptual” New hair and skin changes were found in a rare case of syphilis-related hair loss.
1 citations
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January 2016 in “Case Reports in Clinical Medicine” Hair loss in HIV patients should be tested for syphilis as well.
January 2025 in “NATIONAL BOARD OF EXAMINATIONS JOURNAL OF MEDICAL SCIENCES” Dermoscopy is useful for accurately diagnosing syphilitic alopecia.
December 2020 in “Journal of clinical and investigative dermatology” A man with syphilitic alopecia and neurosyphilis was successfully treated with penicillin, leading to symptom improvement and resolution of hair loss.
April 2012 in “Informa Healthcare eBooks” Syphilitic alopecia is a rare hair loss condition in secondary syphilis that looks similar to another condition but can be diagnosed with specific tests and responds to antibiotics.
February 2026 in “Cureus” Trichoscopy helps correctly diagnose alopecia areata, not syphilitic alopecia, in patients with recent syphilis.
1 citations
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January 2013 in “Mayo Clinic Proceedings” A woman's chronic headaches and hair loss were cured by treating her syphilis.
September 2009 in “Jagiellonian University Repository (Jagiellonian University)” Syphilis can cause hair loss in some cases.
7 citations
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July 2019 in “Clinics in Dermatology” Hair loss can indicate or worsen with systemic diseases, and treating the underlying condition is important.
45 citations
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January 2015 in “Dermatology” Hair loss in secondary syphilis is more common than thought and can be reversed with antibiotics.
2 citations
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December 2012 in “Acta Facultatis Medicae Naissensis” A man with HIV had hair loss due to syphilis, which improved after penicillin treatment.
January 2022 in “Archivos Argentinos de Pediatria” The child's hair loss was due to syphilis and improved after penicillin treatment.
3 citations
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January 2015 in “Dermatology Online Journal” Hair loss can be a symptom of syphilis.
1 citations
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March 2024 in “Oxford Medical Case Reports” Moth-eaten hair loss can be a sign of syphilis.
November 2012 in “South African Family Practice” The article concludes that early treatment of alopecia is crucial to prevent permanent hair loss.
53 citations
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May 1995 in “Journal of The American Academy of Dermatology” Syphilis can cause hair loss that looks like other conditions, but it improves with treatment.
3 citations
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February 2022 in “Cureus” Frontal fibrosing alopecia can sometimes look like syphilitic hair loss.
3 citations
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July 2014 in “QJM” A 35-year-old man had patchy hair loss that was actually due to syphilis, not alopecia areata.
29 citations
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January 2017 in “Skin appendage disorders” Hair loss due to syphilis can be identified using trichoscopy and is treatable with antibiotics.
13 citations
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June 2013 in “Actas Dermo-Sifiliográficas” Syphilitic alopecia, linked to syphilis and high-risk sexual behavior, improves with penicillin treatment.
7 citations
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November 2006 in “Pediatric Dermatology” A newborn with congenital syphilis had unusual hair loss possibly caused by the infection.
7 citations
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January 2018 in “International Journal of Dermatology” Syphilis can cause hair loss without other symptoms and should be considered when diagnosing unexplained hair loss.
6 citations
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September 2011 in “Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology” A man with HIV had an unusual syphilis rash that looked like folliculitis but was cured with penicillin.
1 citations
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August 2023 in “Clinical Cosmetic and Investigational Dermatology” Exclamation mark hairs help distinguish syphilitic alopecia from alopecia areata.