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Do you recommend routine neurosyphilis testing in patients being evaluated for dementia?

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Do you recommend routine neurosyphilis testing in patients being evaluated for dementia?

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2 Answers
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Infectious Disease · University of Washington Center for AIDS and STD
Answered on · Updated on

Syphilis is a rare cause of dementia without other evidence of neurological disease, at least in the US and most other industrialized countries. Of course, a careful neurological examination is required for all dementia patients, but the absence of other manifestations of neurosyphilis makes testing...

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Neurology · University of Minnesota
Answered on

The American Academy of Neurology does not recommend routine/mandatory testing for syphilis in all dementia cases, and I agree, due to extremely low pre-test probability in most patients. I think there is still a value of getting a history and doing a thorough exam before ordering this test. If a pa...

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