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Neurosyphilis and Schizophrenia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Kandiah Sivakumar  and
Chike I. Okocha
Kandiah Sivakumar*
Affiliation:
Maidstone Hospital Psychiatric Wing, Hermitage Lane, Maidstone, Kent ME16 9QQ
Chike I. Okocha
Affiliation:
Maidstone Hospital Psychiatric Wing, Maidstone, Kent
*
∗Correspondence
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Abstract

Neurosyphilis continues to present in atypical forms, leading to erroneous diagnoses by physicians and psychiatrists. This patient, with a previous history of psychosis, presented in a catatonic state with rhabdomyolysis and renal failure. A subsequent breakdown was thought to be schizophrenic until unusual features led to a reassessment and discovery of neurosyphilis which was treated with penicillin and resulted in a remarkable clinical recovery.

Type
Brief Reports
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 161 , Issue 2 , August 1992 , pp. 251 - 254
Copyright
Copyright © 1992 The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

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