ABSTRACT
SYMPTOMS AND CLASSIFICATION Syphilis has been called “the great pretender” because of the myriad of clinical manifestations it can produce. It is a chronic, systemic infection characterized by several stages. The immune response to T. pallidum plays a significant role in the manifestations of all stages of syphilis. Much of the pathology observed in the disease is attributable to vascular abnormalities caused by proliferative endarteritis that occurs in all stages of syphilis. The pathophysiology of the endarteritis is not known, although the scarcity of treponemes and the intense inflammatory infiltrate suggest that the immune response plays a role in the development of these lesions. Manifestations of syphilis are not altered by pregnancy.
