What is syphilis?
Syphilis is a complex sexually
transmitted, infectious disease (std)
caused by the bacterium treponema
pallidum. Syphilis is usually transmitted
by sexual contact or kissing. Infection
from contaminated objects rarely occurs
because drying quickly kills the
bacterium. A fetus carried by a woman
with syphilis may contact the disease.
When a fetus has syphilis, the condition
is called congenital syphilis. Syphilis
has often been called the great imitator
because so many of the signs and symptoms
are indistinguishable from those of other
diseases.
How is syphilis spread?
The syphilis bacterium is passed from
person to person through direct contact
with a syphilis sore. Sores mainly occur
on the external genitals, vagina, anus, or
in the rectum. Sores also can occur on
the lips and in the mouth. Transmission
of the organism occurs during vaginal,
anal, or oral sex. Pregnant women with
the disease can pass it to the babies they
are carrying. Syphilis cannot be spread
by toilet seats, door knobs, swimming
pools, hot tubs, bath tubs, shared
clothing, or eating utensils.
What are the signs and symptoms?
The time between picking up the bacterium
and the start of the first symptom can
range from 10-90 days. The average is 21
days. The primary stage of syphilis is
characterized by the appearance of a
single sore (called a chancre). The
chancre is usually firm, round, small, and
painless. It appears at the spot where
the bacterium entered the body. The
chancre lasts 1-5 weeks and will heal on
its own. If treatment is not
administered, the infection progresses to
the secondary stage.
The second stage starts when one or more
areas of the skin break into a rash that
usually does not itch. Rashes can appear
as the chancre is fading or can be delayed
for weeks. The rash often appears as
rough, "copper penny" spots on both the
palms of the hands and the bottoms of the
feet. The rash also may appear as a
prickly heat rash, as small blotches or
scales all over the body, as a bad case of
old acne, as moist warts in the groin
area, as slimy white patches in the mouth,
as sunken dark circles the size of a
nickel or dime, or as pus-filled bumps
like chicken pox. Some of these signs on
the skin look like symptoms of other
diseases. Sometimes the rashes are so
faint they are not noticed. Rashes
typically last 2-6 weeks and clear up on
their own. In addition to rashes, second
stage symptoms may include fever, swollen
lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair
loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle
aches, and tiredness. A person infected
with syphilis can easily pass the disease
to sex partners when first or second stage
signs or symptoms are present.
The latent (hidden) stage of syphilis
begins when the secondary symptoms
disappear. If the infected person has not
received treatment, he/she still has
syphilis even though there are no signs or
symptoms. The bacterium remains in the
body and begins to damage the internal
organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes,
heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and
joints. In about one-third of untreated
persons, this internal damage shows up
many years later in the late or tertiary
stage of syphilis. Late stage signs and
symptoms include not being able to
coordinate muscle movements, paralysis, no
longer feeling pain, gradual blindness,
dementia (madness) or other personality
changes, impotency, shooting pains,
blockage or ballooning of the heart
vessels, tumors or "gummas" on the skin,
bones, liver, or other organs, severe pain
in the belly, repeated vomiting, damage to
knee joints, and deep sores on the soles
of the feet or toes. This damage may be
serious enough to cause death.
Can a newborn get syphilis?
Yes. An infected pregnant woman has about
a 40% chance of having a stillbirth
(syphilitic stillbirth) or giving birth to
a baby who dies shortly after birth. A
baby born to a mother with either
untreated syphilis or syphilis treated
after the 34th week of pregnancy has a 40%
- 70% chance of being infected with
syphilis (congenital syphilis). An
infected baby may be born without symptoms
but may develop them within a few weeks,
if not treated immediately. These signs
and symptoms can be very serious and
include skin sores, a very runny nose,
which is sometimes bloody (and
infectious), slimy patches in the mouth,
inflamed arm and leg bones, a swollen
liver, anemia, jaundice, or a small head.
Untreated babies may become retarded or
may have seizures. About 12% of infected
newborns will die because of the disease.
How is syphilis diagnosed?
The syphilis bacterium can be detected by
a doctor who examines material from
infectious sores under a microscope.
Shortly after infection occurs, the body
produces syphilis antibodies that are
detected with a blood test. A syphilis
blood test is accurate, safe, and
inexpensive. A low level of antibodies
will stay in the blood for months or years
after the disease has been successfully
treated, and antibodies can be found by
subsequent blood tests. Because untreated
syphilis in a pregnant woman can infect
and possibly kill her developing baby,
every pregnant woman should have a blood
test for syphilis.
Is there a cure for syphilis?
Yes. One dose of the antibiotic
penicillin will cure a person who has had
syphilis for less than a year. However,
penicilin will not cure damage that has
occured before treatment. More doses are
needed to cure someone who has had it for
longer than a year. A baby born with the
disease needs daily penicillin treatment
for 10 days. There are no home remedies
or over-the-counter drugs that cure
syphilis.
Can syphilis be treated?
Syphilis usually is treated with
penicillin, administered by injection.
Will syphilis recur?
Maybe. Having had syphilis does not
protect a person from getting it again.
Source:
http://www.Mamashealth.C
om/syphilis.Asp
hey, you learn something new
everyday...You can get syphilis from
kissing!
