Painless and Nonitchy Rash in the Primary Care Setting

Patients presenting with dermatologic findings, including rashes, are not uncommon in the primary care setting. Timely diagnosis and efficient clinical management are essential to preventing the spread of infectious causes of rashes. Disproportionate rates of sexually transmitted infections require clinicians to modernize their approach to subjective history collection, including sexual health history. Syphilis, which is also known as the great imitator, can mask or mimic other common health concerns that may present in any clinical setting at any time. Appropriate diagnosis and clinical management of syphilis are, at times, complex, especially for the novice clinician. This case challenge of a 36 -year -old client of reproductive age who presents with a rash highlights the key clinical considerations for the effective diagnosis and management of syphilis. (c) 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.