Syphilis

What is Syphilis?

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Treponema Pallidum. Syphilis is passed from person to person through direct contact with syphilis sore. Transmission of the bacterium occurs during vaginal, anal, or oral sex.

What are Symptoms?

There are 3 stages of syphilis, all of which are characterized by certain symptoms. Although transmission occurs from persons with sores who are in the primary or secondary stage, many of these sores are unrecognized. Thus, transmission may occur from persons who are unaware of their infection.

Primary syphilis

In general, painless sore (chancre) can remain undetected inside the body and swollen or enlarged lymph nodes are the primary stage of infection. The bacteria usually entered genitals, rectum, mouth or lips.These signs may occur from 10 days to three months after exposure, but usually within 2-6 weeks. The sore will heal or usually disappear within a few weeks without treatment, but the syphilis infection remains in the body. In some people, syphilis then moves to the secondary stage.

Secondary Stage

The secondary stage of syphilis typically starts with the development of a rash on one or more areas of the body. The rash usually does not cause itching and is characteristic of rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. However, rashes with a different appearance may occur on other parts of the body. Sometimes rashes associated with secondary syphilis are so faint that they are not noticed. Other symptoms of secondary syphilis may include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue. The signs and symptoms of secondary syphilis will resolve with or without treatment, but without treatment, the infection will progress to the latent and possibly late stages of disease.

Late and Latent Stages

The latent (hidden) stage of syphilis begins when primary and secondary symptoms disappear. Without treatment, the infected person will continue to have syphilis even though there are no signs or symptoms. This latent stage can last for years. The late stage of syphilis can appear 10-20 years after infection was first acquired. In the late stages of syphilis, the disease may subsequently damage the internal organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints. Signs and symptoms of the late stage of syphilis include difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness, and dementia. This damage may be serious enough to cause death.

Other Complications of Untreated Infection:

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. Also, genital sores (chancres) caused by syphilis make it easier to transmit and acquire HIV infection because those sores cause breaks in the skin, which disrupts the barrier that helps protect against transmission of HIV.

Testing

The Rapid Plasma Reagin (RPR) is a simple blood test used to determine whether someone has syphilis. This test detects antibodies produced by the body shortly after the infection occurs.