OBJECTIVETo investigate the clinical features and diagnosis of infants under 3 months of age with congenital syphilis.

METHODData of 121 infants below 3 months of age with congenital syphilis were collected from January 1997 to May 2007 at the authors' hospital. Their clinical features, laboratory findings and treatment were reviewed.

RESULTClinical manifestations of congenital syphilis in the infants were diverse. The disease involved multiple systems such as the skin, respiratory, digestive, blood, and nervous system, skeleton and so on. Among the 121 infants, the manifestations included increased leukocyte count (89.3%), skin damage (59.5%), hepatomegaly (56.2%), splenomegaly (41.3%), anemia (38.8%), fever (28.9%), pathologic jaundice (24.0%), growth retardation after birth (12.4%) and bone damage (54.3%), etc. The rate of misdiagnosis was 17.4 percent, and the kinds of disease misdiagnosed were up to 10.

CONCLUSIONClinical manifestations of congenital syphilis in infants under 3 months of age were complicated and nonspecific, therefore doctors misdiagnosed it very easily. Clinicians should attach great importance to it. At the same time, the restoration of antemarital examination, vigorously carrying out screening for syphilis and strengthening the management of immigrants are necessary to prevent congenital syphilis.