Purpose: We aim to study the clinical manifestations, fluid changes and neuroimaging alterations in patients with general paresis of the insane (GPI).
Methods: A total of 119 patients suffering from GPI recruited in Beijing Ditan Hospital, Capital Medical University from 2010 to 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.
Results: In 119 GPI patients, 103 cases (86.6%) were male. Misdiagnosed rate was up to 83.2%, schizophrenia and mood disorders were the most common misdiagnosed diseases. Duration from symptom onset to the final confirmed diagnosis was 10.4± 12.9 months. The main clinical manifestations included cognitive impairment (114 cases, 95.8%) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (107 cases, 90.0%). The cognitive domains including the delayed recall, visuospatial/executive function and language ability indicated by MoCA score were damaged severely. Rapid plasma regain (RPR) of all GPI patients was 100% positive in serum and 89.9% positive in cerebral spinal fluid (CSF). The white blood cell (WBC) number in CSF was between 6 and 50/μL in 73 GPI patients (61.3%). The protein level was between 45.1 and 70mg/dL in 47 cases (39.5%). In the 110 cases, 96 cases (87.3%) were abnormal indicated by cerebral atrophy mostly located in the anterior brain and abnormal signals distributed in various regions of the brain mostly in the frontal lobe and temporal lobe.
Conclusion: The symptoms of GPI were complex and easy to misdiagnose. The clinicians were still short of vigilance for neurosyphilis. We should expand serologic testing for syphilis especially in patients with cognitive impairment and neuropsychiatric symptoms. We suggest syphilis curricula in the training program of the clinicians especially for neurologist and psychiatrist.
Keywords: dementia, clinical manifestation, fluid changes, neuroimaging alterations, general paresis of the insane