Introduction:

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that has caused great havoc throughout the history of mankind; currently, its prevalence is of great concern. Bone involvement in secondary syphilis may precede or follow mucocutaneous lesions and, in some cases, occur as the only manifestation of the disease.

Objective:

To describe the clinical case of a patient with calvarial osteitis in the course of secondary syphilis to allow health professionals to associate these lesions with sexually transmitted infections.

Case presentation:

Thirty-three-year-old male patient, single, with personal pathological antecedents of being carrier of the oral herpes simplex virus since he was 24 years old who attends the consultation due to left frontal, oppressive, throbbing headache of mild onset that intensifies and radiates to the ipsilateral ear. Physical examination, which included the nervous system, was negative. Imaging and laboratory studies were ordered; the imaging studies showed the presence of osteolytic images in the left parietal region near the sagittal suture, and the positive serological tests confirmed the diagnosis of bone manifestations of calvarial osteitis due to secondary syphilis.

Conclusions:

In secondary syphilis, the skull bone is most often affected by proliferative osteitis. Risky sexual practices and self-medication have a negative influence on the expression of the disease. The health personnel is responsible for conducting a timely and early diagnosis of the disease in order to avoid its progression, morbidity, and possible complications.

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