TABES DORSALIS

Course overview

TABES DORSALIS, ONE OF TWO MANIFESTATIONS OF LATE NEUROSYPHILIS, IS A SLOWLY PROGRESSIVE PARENCHYMATOUS DEGENERATIVE DISEASE OF THE DORSAL COLUMN AND DORSAL ROOT OF THE SPINAL CORD AS A RESULT OF INFECTION WITH TREPONEMA PALLIDUM SUBSPECIES PALLIDUM, ONE OF THREE SUBSPECIES OF TREPONEMA PALLIDUM THAT CAN CAUSE SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASES IN HUMANS. TABES GENERALLY OCCURS IN THE LATE TERTIARY STAGE OF SYPHILIS, BUT EARLY INVOLVEMENT IS REPORTED. IT MAY BE ACCOMPANIED BY MENINGITIS OR MENINGOMYELITIS. ALTHOUGH CSF INVASION OFTEN OCCURS EARLY IN INFECTION WITH TREPONEMA PALLIDUM, THE CLINICAL SYNDROME OF TABES DORSALIS USUALLY OCCURS MANY YEARS, EVEN DECADES, LATER. THE DISEASE HAS A DELAYED AND INSIDIOUS ONSET RESULTING IN ATAXIA, DEMENTIA, PAINFUL CRISES, AND SKIN, JOINT, AND BLADDER ABNORMALITIES. THIS ACTIVITY CAN HELP PROFESSIONALS' UNDERSTANDING OF TABES DORSALIS AND CAN AUGMENT THE INTERPROFESSIONAL EFFORT IN CARING FOR THESE INDIVIDUALS WHO OFTEN REQUIRE INSTITUTIONALIZATION WITH SUPPORT BY SEVERAL SPECIALTIES LIKE NEUROLOGY, UROLOGY, AND, EVENTUALLY, SOMETIMES PALLIATIVE CARE.