Neurosyphilis is one of those diagnoses people still miss more often than you’d think! 🧠 #neurology

Added: 2026-06-02

[00:00:00]Syphilis cases are rising and it can also affect your brain. So, let's talk more about symptoms in the brain that most people don't realize. So, neurosyphilis is when the bacteria that causes syphilis actually reaches your brain. Here's what people get wrong.

[00:00:12]They think this only can happen at a really late stage, but it can actually happen at any stage. So, there's usually primary, secondary, tertiary, and in tertiary people think that it reaches your organs and your brain, but it can be seen earlier and I've seen this.

[00:00:24]Sometimes they're sneaky. It kind of looks like anything. It can be a headache that's not responding to medication, personality changes, memory changes, bizarre behavior, strokes in young people with no risk factors. Every single one of those is a documented presentation of neurosyphilis, but the good thing is it's very treatable. So, IV penicillin will treat this. Most people don't get tested for it because they don't think if they have a rash or a sore that those are the main issues you should be looking out for, but it can present like many things. So, don't ignore this because this is very treatable and it can also cause memory loss and changes and I always check this lab especially in my elderly patients, but don't miss this. So, if you have unexplained symptoms, um ask for a syphilis test and be safe. So, definitely use precautions and if this sounds like you, then get tested.