Syphilitic alopecia: a report of 5 cases and a review of the literature

Syphilitic alopecia occurs in only 4% of patients with syphilis. We present 5 cases of this uncommon manifestation and review the corresponding literature. All of the patients in our series were men aged between 31 and 46 years. The lesions, which were located mainly in the parieto-occipital area of the scalp, manifested as multiple, irregular, nonscarring patches of alopecia that adopted a characteristic patchy moth-eaten pattern. One patient initially presented diffuse alopecia with multiple erythematous scaling lesions. Immunohistochemical staining revealed the presence of numerous spirochetes in the hair follicles in the 2 patients in whom skin biopsy was performed. The lesions improved with treatment in all the patients who attended follow-up. Dermatologists should maintain a high level of clinical suspicion for this uncommon manifestation of syphilis, particularly when it is the only symptom.