Syphilis and kidney disease: a case report and review of literature

There has been a resurgence in the number of incident cases of syphilis in the United States. Syphilis can affect the kidney and usually causes a glomerular lesion with variable amounts of proteinuria. We present a case of a 24-year old African-American male who presented with both membranous glomerulonephritis and secondary syphilis. His kidney disease resolved after a course of penicillin. Recognizing the association of syphilis and proteinuria is important since antibiotic therapy generally results in complete recovery of the associated nephropathy.