Syphilis

What is syphilis?

It is a bacterial infection that is transmitted through sexual contact and can cause serious health problems if left untreated. The infection develops in stages, and each stage can have different signs and symptoms.

Transmission

• Direct Contact
  • Syphilis can be transmitted through direct contact with a syphilis sore during sexual contact.
• From a mother infected with syphilis to the unborn fetus:
  • If you get syphilis during pregnancy, the infection can be passed to the baby.
  • This can cause your baby to have a low birth weight or be born prematurely.
  • To protect your baby, you should be tested for syphilis at least once during your pregnancy.

Syphilis cannot be transmitted through

• Toilet chairs
• Door handles
• Swimming pools
• Bathtubs
• Sharing clothes
• Utensils

Symptoms

Syphilis progresses through four stages:

• Primary Stage
• Secondary Stage
• Latent Stage
• Tertiary (Late) Stage

Primary Stage

• During this stage, you may notice a single sore or multiple sores at the location where syphilis entered your body.
• Sores typically appear on:
  • Reproductive organs
  • Lips
  • Mouth
• Sores are firm, round, and painless.
• They last 3 to 6 weeks and heal regardless of treatment.
• Even if the sore heals, treatment is required to prevent the infection from progressing.

Secondary Stage

• Usually begins with a rash on one or more areas of the body
  • The rash may appear when the primary sore is healing or weeks after.
  • It can be found on the palms of the hands and/or the soles of the feet.
  • Rashes are rough in texture, red or reddish-brown in color, and usually do not itch.
• Other symptoms:
  • Swollen lymph glands
  • Sore throat
  • Patchy hair loss
  • Weight loss
  • Muscle aches
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Headache

Latent (Inactive) Stage

• No visible signs or symptoms.
• Syphilis can remain in the body for years if untreated.
• It is not transmittable during this stage.
• Without treatment, it may progress to the tertiary stage.

Tertiary (Late) Stage

• Rare and occurs in untreated cases.
• Can affect:
  • Blood vessels
  • Brain
  • Nervous systemM/li>
  • Heart

Diagnosis

• Based on clinical and sexual history, physical examination, laboratory tests, and sometimes x-rays.
• Symptoms are not always noticeable.

Treatment

• Syphilis can be treated with appropriate antibiotics prescribed by a doctor.

Prevention

• Using condoms:
  • Condoms are the best way to prevent sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis, by preventing contact with sores.
• Getting tested:
  • Ensure you and your partner are screened for STDs.
• Ensuring your partner’s health status:
  • Avoid sex if the partner’s health is unknown.
• Reducing the number of partners:
  • The risk of STDs increases with multiple partners.