Early syphilis, latent

This code signifies a stage of syphilis where the patient has no signs or symptoms of the disease, but serologic tests are reactive, indicating past infection. It specifically refers to latent syphilis acquired within the past 12 months, distinguishing it from late latent syphilis.

Use this code when documentation confirms a positive treponemal test (e.g., TP-PA, FTA-ABS) and a positive non-treponemal test (e.g., RPR, VDRL) in a patient with no clinical manifestations of syphilis, and the infection is known or presumed to have occurred within the last year. This often applies to contact tracing or routine screening with a recent seroconversion.

• Distinguish carefully between early latent and late latent syphilis; the timeframe of infection is crucial for accurate coding.
• Do not use this code if there are any active signs or symptoms of syphilis; instead, code to the appropriate stage (e.g., primary, secondary).
• Ensure documentation clearly states the latency period is within the first year to support "early" classification.