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Central nervous system

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General paresis

Symptoms: Seizures Loss of short-term memory (recent events) Loss of long-term memory (long-past events) Impaired judgment Decreased language ability (aphasia) Loss of ability to calculate Personality changes Inappropriate moods No mood exhibited Irritable, angry Delusions, hallucinations Decreased motivation, apathy Muscle weakness (difficulty using legs, arms, or other parts of the body) Signs and tests: An eye examination may indicate a change in pupil response. A neurologic and muscular examination indicates slowly progressive dementia, with loss of multiple brain functions. Muscle weakness may be evident. There may be a loss of vibratory and position sense. Gait disturbances are common. The person may be unable to stand with the eyes closed (Romberg test). Blood tests to detect syphilis in the body include: VDRL FTA-ABS Tests to evaluate the nervous system may include: A CSF (cerebrospinal fluid) examination with abnormal results (positive VDRL or FTA-ABS test of CSF confirming neurosyphilis) A head CT scan Nerve conduction tests Text Continues Below

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