Treatment of late benign syphilis: review of the literature

Abstract

The English literature on the treatment of late benign syphilis with penicillin was reviewed. To date there have been no controlled randomized therapeutic trials to support the efficacy of this therapy. This disease responds rapidly to all antisyphilitic drugs including arsphenamine and heavy metals. There are ample case reports and 2 major therapy studies which demonstrate the safety and beneficial effects of penicillin in individual patients. Although the exact dosage and duration of therapy are open to speculation, it is wise to treat patients with late benign syphilis with doses of penicillin judged to be effective for concomitant neuro-or cardiovascular syphilis.