Syphilitic punctate inner retinitis in immunocompetent gay men

To describe the features of an unusual syphilitic uveitis syndrome in a cluster of homosexual patients.

Retrospective case series.

Five consecutive patients diagnosed with syphilitic retinitis in our Melbourne uveitis clinic over a period of 8 months.

The case notes of patients diagnosed with syphilitic retinitis were reviewed and the clinical features are presented and discussed.

Description of retinal findings and documentation of any associated sequelae.

All patients were homosexual men. Two were human immunodeficiency virus positive. None of the patients had been previously diagnosed with syphilis, although 3 presented with systemic symptoms and signs of secondary syphilis. All patients had marked anterior uveitis and vitritis. All patients had acute retinal arteriolitis and inner retinitis, with distinctive, inner retinal and preretinal white dots. These retinal findings were remarkably similar in all patients, and resolved with little or no sequelae after standard systemic treatment for syphilis, combined with oral prednisolone.

Syphilitic retinitis may be an increasingly common clinical problem, reflecting the growing incidence of syphilis among homosexual men in Australia. Our patients showed stereotypical ocular and systemic features, which are useful in differentiating this condition clinically from other types of acute posterior uveitis, such as necrotizing viral retinitis.

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