Syphilis

Table of Contents

• What Is Syphilis?
• Stages of Syphilis
• Causes of Syphilis
• Symptoms of Syphilis
• Diagnosis of Syphilis
• Treatment for Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium. These pathogens usually enter the body through the tissues that line the rectum, vagina or nose. If not treated quickly, it could get worse over time and causes other medical issues. There are four stages of syphilis – Primary, Secondary, Latent and Tertiary.

Primary syphilis

The early signs appear about three to four weeks after infection. Syphilis begins with painless open sores which are called “Chancre”. These sores are often found in the mouth, anus and genitals. Generally, these are caused by direct contact with an infected person.

Secondary syphilis

At this stage, sore throat, and skin rashes start appearing and the rashes are normally found on the palms or soles or any part of the body. Symptoms include headaches, swollen lymph glands, fatigue, fever, hair loss and aching joints.

Latent syphilis

After secondary syphilis ends, the period is known as the “hidden stage” starts. During this stage, there are no symptoms observed. But even though the symptoms are not visible, the infection is still present and it starts damaging the inner organs. This stage lasts up to 5 – 20 years.

Tertiary syphilis

Tertiary syphilis could occur years after you are initially infected as this could be life-threatening and could cause serious health problems like blindness, deafness, mental illness, memory loss, destruction of soft tissue, heart diseases, etc.

Syphilis could be caused by

1. Having HIV
2. Having unsafe sex or unprotected sex (Not using condoms)
3. Having sex with partners who have many sex partners
4. Having a sex partner who is infected by the syphilis bacteria

Signs and symptoms vary from men to women. The general symptoms of this bacterial infectious disease include:

• Fever
• Pain during sex
• Lower abdominal pain
• Rashes over the trunk, hands or feet
• Painful or burning urination
• Discharge from the penis
• Unusual vaginal bleeding
• Sores or bumps on the genitals or in the oral or rectal area

Syphilis can be diagnosed by certain laboratory tests. These tests include an examination of a body fluid sample :

1. Blood tests: Blood samples can confirm the diagnosis or the presence of HIV or the stages of syphilis.
2. Urine samples. Some sexually transmitted diseases can be confirmed with a urine sample.
3. Genital sores: Testing fluid and samples from the sores may be done to diagnose the types of sexually transmitted infections.

Syphilis is generally easier to treat. Treatment usually consists of Antibiotics or Antiviral drugs. Primary and secondary syphilis could be easily treated with a penicillin injection. Penicillin is one of the widely used antibiotics and is very effective in treating syphilis.

Stay tuned with BYJU’S to learn more in detail about Syphilis and different types of sexually transmitted infections.