Korean J Perinatol.  2012 Dec;23(4):280-285.

A Case of Fatal early Congenital Syphilis of Preterm Newborn Delivered by a Mother with Insufficient Prenatal Care

• Kim EY
• An S
• Lee JH
• Sung TJ

Abstract

Congenital syphilis is a rare disease nowadays because of prenatal screening test and early treatment. In the absence of proper maternal therapy, infection can result in stillbirth, prematurity, or a wide spectrum of clinical manifestations involving multiple organ systems. We took care of a preterm infant with apnea, desquamation on the palms of hands and thrombocytopenia at birth, and the serologic tests revealed congenital syphilis. We present a fatal case of early congenital syphilis of preterm newborn delivered by an untreated mother, with a brief review of literature.

Keyword

Congenital syphilis; Preterm

MeSH Terms

Apnea
Hand
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Infant, Premature
Mothers
Parturition
Prenatal Care
Prenatal Diagnosis
Rare Diseases
Serologic Tests
Stillbirth
Syphilis, Congenital
Thrombocytopenia