Syphilis – Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD), caused by the bacterium Treponema Pallidum. It is known as a silent and very serious disease , since it can manifest some symptom only in advanced stages, causing serious and irreversible damage, which can even lead to death.

Ways of Transmission

In addition to transmission through unprotected sex , syphilis can be transmitted by blood transfusion or direct contact with contaminated blood. But do not be alarmed, the good news is that when diagnosed in the first stage, it is possible to start a simple treatment capable of annihilating the bacteria before it even causes any serious damage to health.

The congenital syphilis , from mother to child , can be transmitted during pregnancy or the right to reduce the risks for both the mother and the baby.

Main Symptoms of Syphilis

Syphilis, also known as Hard Cancer, is infectious and has a slow evolution and can be lodged in the infected person’s body for years without showing any clinical manifestation.

Due to its chronic development, the disease presents itself in four stages: primary, secondary, latent and tertiary syphilis. It is only contagious in the first two stages and very rarely in the latent stage. It can also be congenital, the infected mother can transmit the bacteria to her child during pregnancy or childbirth.

Usually transmitted through sexual intercourse, the bacteria enters the body through any small cut that is present on the mucous membranes or on the skin. The symptoms of syphilis vary greatly according to the stage of the disease, in many cases may even pose no. Many infected people find that they are infected with the bacteria decades after they contracted the disease.

Primary syphilis

It is the first stage of the disease, it starts about two to three weeks after the contagion.

Symptoms – At this stage, sores are formed at the infection site and do not cause pain. The difficulty in this stage is to notice the formation of these wounds, as they can manifest in places with the cervix or in the anus.

After a few weeks, these wounds may simply disappear even without any treatment or medication. But it doesn’t mean that she was healed. The bacterium TreponemaPallidum remains in the organism even though it is inactive, and reappears with other clinical manifestations and at a more advanced stage.

Secondary syphilis

Approximately 8 weeks after the appearance of the first wounds, the second stage of Syphilis begins. Generally, the disease progresses to this stage because no treatment has taken place. As in the primary phase, the bacteria can become inactive again.

The symptoms at this stage are more punctual and noticeable, but you have to be aware that they are very similar to the symptoms of other diseases and can once again go unnoticed.

Symptoms: At this stage the patient may have symptoms very similar to those of the flu: fever, sore throat and muscle pain. It is also common to have redness on the skin and even tongues, especially in the genital region.

Latent Syphilis

It is at this stage that Syphilis can remain inactive in the infected person’s body for a long time without causing any reaction or symptoms. You can even stay in this stage permanently, without advancing to the last and most serious stage, tertiary syphilis.

Tertiary syphilis

This is the last stage of the disease and certainly the most serious, which can cause irreparable damage to the organism , especially to the nervous system, and even lead to the death of the infected person.

Considering that the patient may have reached this point without even having the knowledge of having syphilis, fatally he will not have started any treatment yet and the disease has advanced and is already at a much more worrying level.

Symptoms:

Organs such as the heart, brain, liver, nerves, joints, bones and many others can suffer damage caused by syphilis bacteria. Cardiac and nervous problems, dementia, paralysis, blindness and in more critical cases total organ failure.

Congenital syphilis

In congenital syphilis, the mother infected with the bacterium Treponema Pallidum transmits syphilis to the baby during pregnancy or at delivery . The vast majority of babies who are diagnosed with the disease have no symptoms. However, in some cases, newborns have cracked the palms and soles of their feet, and may later develop other, more serious health problems.

So if you are pregnant the best way to protect you and the baby is to do the prenatal care correctly, perform all the tests that your doctor requests , talk to him about syphilis, clear up your doubts and with the proper care and treatments, everything will be well.

Diagnosed Syphilis

The syphilis is one of those silent diseases, causing no major symptoms start and when the person realizes, the disease has progressed to a more severe stage and therefore more difficult to treat .

Health agencies recommend that if you have unprotected sex, it is ideal to seek medical advice for carrying out certain tests as a precaution. It is essential that you have the freedom to expose all your doubts to your doctor and answer with total sincerity all the questions that he asks, this interview is essential for the conclusion of a more accurate diagnosis .

If contagion is suspected, the doctor will possibly order some tests such as blood and bacterial cultures from the place supposedly infected with syphilis. If there are signs of the disease in more advanced stages, the doctor may request the collection of cerebrospinal fluid.

Important: It is essential that you talk to your doctor if you have had or have any other infectious disease, as it can interfere with the test results and requires a more detailed analysis.

If the diagnosis is positive, the partner must be notified immediately. The conversation has to be frank so that both have the chance to start treatment as soon as possible.

Syphilis treated

The treatment indicated for Syphilis is penicillin , an antibiotic capable of fighting the Treponema bacteria . When started in the first stage, the chances of success are greater. In this initial phase, a single injection of the antibiotic is usually indicated, enough to fight the disease and prevent it from developing. In more advanced stages, more than one application may be required.

Yes, syphilis can be cured ! But as you saw, the sooner you see a doctor, the more effective the treatment will be.

Prevention

Using the good old condom in sex is the most effective way to prevent syphilis, as well as preventing other sexually transmitted diseases like AIDS .

See Also:  First Pregnancy – Exams and Initial Procedures

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My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.

Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

Dr. Alexis Hart

My name is Dr. Alexis Hart I am 38 years old, I am the mother of 3 beautiful children! Different ages, different phases 16 years, 12 years and 7 years. In love with motherhood since always, I found it difficult to make my dreams come true, and also some more after I was already a mother.Since I imagined myself as a mother, in my thoughts everything seemed to be much easier and simpler than it really was, I expected to get pregnant as soon as I wished, but it wasn’t that simple. The first pregnancy was smooth, but my daughter’s birth was very troubled. Joana was born in 2002 with a weight of 2930kg and 45cm, from a very peaceful cesarean delivery but she had already been born with congenital pneumonia due to a broken bag not treated with antibiotics even before delivery.

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