Anemia as the Only Presenting Manifestation of Congenital Syphilis.

Anemia is a common manifestation of congenital syphilis, but rarely is the only presenting feature of the disease. A three-month- old infant is reported who had anemia of sudden onset with no other feature suggestive of congenital syphilis. This case was puzzling to all the physicians involved because the diagnosis of congenital syphilis was never considered. It was only the fortuitous hospitalization of the mother for surgery and the serologic study which led to the diagnosis in the infant. The infant had none of the typical physical findings of the disease. No reports of similar instances of congenital syphilis presenting only with anemia and no other physical sign of the disease could be found in the literature. ..