Neurosyphilis, infection of the CNS by T.pallidum can occur at any stage of infection
Symptoms & Signs
Fever, eye pain, redness, photophobia, vision loss, uveitis, iritis, hearing loss, cranial nerve abnormalities (especially cranial nerves II, III, IV, VI, VII, and VIII), meningismus
Tabes dorsalis: It results from damage to the posterior columns of the spinal cord
It presents with sensory ataxia, impairment of proprioception and vibration sense, a wide-based gait with impaired balance that is exacerbated by eye closure (the Romberg sign), muscular hypotonia, hyporeflexia, paresthesias, analgesia, or sharp, agonizing, (‘shooting’/ ‘lightning) pains in the muscles of the leg, painful bladder spasms, urinary incontinence, impotence, footdrop, and loss of reflexes.
-It can be accompanied by an Argyll Robertson pupil (which accommodates, but does not react to, light, light-near disassociation phenomenon) and optic atrophy
-Painless trophic ulcers may develop over pressure points on the feet.
-Sensory loss and hypotonicity can lead to the occurrence of hypertrophic (Charcot) joints.