Syphilis: causes, symptoms, diagnosis and treatment

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted through sexual contact. The disease begins with a painless sore, usually on the genitals, rectum, or mouth. Syphilis is passed from person to person through contact with these sores on the skin or mucous membranes.

After the initial infection, the syphilis bacteria can lie dormant in the body for decades before becoming active again. Early syphilis can be cured, sometimes with a single injection of penicillin.

Without treatment, syphilis can seriously damage the heart, brain, or other organs and be life-threatening. Syphilis can also be passed from mother to fetus.

Syphilis develops in stages and symptoms vary at each stage. However, the stages can overlap and the symptoms do not always occur in the same order. You can be infected with syphilis without noticing any symptoms for years.

The first sign of syphilis is a small sore called a chancre. The sore appears where the bacteria entered your body. While most people infected with syphilis have only one chancre, some people have several.

The chancre usually appears about three weeks after exposure. Many people with syphilis do not notice the chancre because it is usually painless and may be hidden inside the vagina or rectum. The chancre will heal on its own in three to six weeks.

A few weeks after the original chancre heals, you may experience a rash that starts on your trunk but eventually covers your entire body, including the palms of your hands and soles of your feet.

This rash is usually not itchy and may be accompanied by wart-like sores in the mouth or genital area. Some people also experience hair loss, muscle aches, fever, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes. These signs and symptoms may disappear within a few weeks or come and go repeatedly for up to a year.

If you do not receive treatment for syphilis, the disease progresses from the secondary stage to the hidden (latent) stage, during which you will have no symptoms. The latent phase can last for years. Signs and symptoms may never return or the disease may progress to stage three (tertiary).

About 15% to 30% of people infected with syphilis who do not receive treatment will have complications called tertiary syphilis. In the advanced stage, the disease can damage the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints. These problems can occur many years after the initial untreated infection.

At any stage, syphilis can spread and, among other things, cause damage to the brain and nervous system, as well as to the eyes.

Babies born to women with syphilis can become infected through the placenta or during childbirth. Most newborn babies with congenital syphilis have no symptoms, although some develop a rash on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.

Later signs and symptoms may include deafness, dental deformities, and saddle nose, where the nasal septum collapses.

However, babies born with syphilis can also be born prematurely, die in the womb before birth, or die after birth.

See a doctor if you or your child develop any unusual secretions, sores, or rashes, especially if they occur in the groin area.

You are at a higher risk of getting syphilis if you do the following:

Having unprotected sex Having sex with multiple partners You are a man who has sex with men You are infected with

HIV

the virus that causes

HOW

Syphilis can be diagnosed by testing samples of:

Sangre.

Blood tests can confirm the presence of antibodies that the body produces to fight infection. Antibodies to the bacteria that cause syphilis remain in your body for years, so the test can be used to determine current or past infection.

Cerebrospinal fluid.

If you are suspected of having nervous system complications from syphilis, your doctor may also suggest that you have a sample of cerebrospinal fluid taken through a spinal tap.

Through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, your local health department offers services for couples, which will help you inform your sexual partners that they may be infected. Your partners can be tested and treated, which limits the transmission of syphilis.

When diagnosed and treated in its early stages, syphilis is easily cured. The preferred treatment for all stages is penicillin, an antibiotic drug that can kill the organism that causes syphilis. If you are allergic to penicillin, your doctor may suggest another antibiotic or recommend penicillin desensitization.

The recommended treatment for primary, secondary, or early latent syphilis (referring to infection within the last year) is a single injection of penicillin. If you have had syphilis for more than a year, you may need additional doses.

Penicillin is the only recommended treatment for pregnant women with syphilis. Women with a penicillin allergy can undergo a desensitization process that allows them to take penicillin.

Even if you receive treatment for syphilis during pregnancy, your newborn should be tested for congenital syphilis and, if infected, treated with antibiotics.

On the first day you receive treatment, you may experience what is called the Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction. Signs and symptoms include fever, chills, nausea, body aches, and headache. This reaction usually does not last more than a day.

After you receive treatment for syphilis, your doctor will ask you to:

Have regular blood tests and exams to make sure you are responding to your usual dose of penicillin. Your specific follow-up will depend on the stage of syphilis you have been diagnosed with. Avoid sexual contact with new partners until treatment is complete and blood tests show the infection has cleared. Notify your sex partners so they can get tested and receive treatment if needed. Get tested for the infection

HIV

.