A Rare Case of an Abdominal Aortic Thrombus Secondary to Syphilitic Aortitis

Abstract

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted spirochete infection whose presentation depends on the stage of infection. Currently, due to antibiotic treatment, tertiary syphilis is a rare clinical entity. When present, it is characterized by neurosyphilis, gummas, and cardiovascular infection. We present a case of a 64-year-old male who came with abdominal pain due to allergic colitis and was incidentally found to have a mural thrombus of his abdominal aorta. Following a negative workup and no etiologic cause of the thrombus, the patient was diagnosed with syphilitic aortitis. Previous cases have been seen in patients who present with infarction due to aortic thrombosis secondary to syphilitic aortitis. Practitioners must be aware that patients with tertiary syphilis, such as this patient, could have aortic thrombosis without any signs of ischemia and are at risk for infarction.