Syphilis is a disease caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum which, in most cases, is transmitted through unprotected sex. The first symptoms are hemmature sores on the penis, anus or vulva that, if left untreated, disappear spontaneously and return after weeks, months or years in their secondary or tertiary forms, which are more severe.
Syphilis is curable and treated with penicillin injections, guided by the doctor according to the stage of the disease in which the patient is located. Learn how to treat and cure this disease.
- The first symptom of syphilis is a sore that does not bleed or hurt.
- Which occurs after direct contact with someone else’s syphilis wound.
- However.
- Symptoms tend to change.
- Depending on the stage of infection:.
Primary syphilis is the initial stage of the disease, which appears approximately 3 weeks after contact with the disease-causing bacteria, Treponema pallidum. This stage is characterized by the appearance of a hard cancer, which corresponds to a small wound or lump that does not hurt or cause discomfort, and that disappears after about 4 to 5 weeks, without leaving scars.
In men, these sores usually appear around the foreskin, while in women they appear on the small lips and vaginal wall. It is also common for this wound to appear on the anus, mouth, tongue, breasts and fingers. During this period, it may also appear in the groin or near the affected area.
After the disappearance of hard cancer injuries, which is a period of inactivity that can last six to eight weeks, the disease can resume its activity if it is not identified and treated. This time, the compromise will occur on the skin and internal organs, as the bacteria may have multiplied and spread to other parts of the body through the bloodstream.
New lesions are characterized by pink spots or small brownish bumps that appear on the skin, mouth, nose, palms of the hands and soles of the feet, sometimes intense peeling of the skin. Other symptoms that may occur include:
This phase continues during the first two years of the disease and manifests itself in the form of epidemics that spontaneously reced, but become increasingly durable.
Tertiary syphilis occurs in people who have not been able to spontaneously fight the disease in its secondary phase or who have not received adequate treatment. At this stage, syphilis is characterized by:
These symptoms usually appear 10 to 30 years after the initial infection and when the individual is not treated. Therefore, to avoid complications in other organs of the body, treatment should be performed shortly after the onset of the first symptoms of syphilis.
Get a better understanding of the stages of syphilis in the following video:
Congenital syphilis occurs when the baby gets syphilis during pregnancy or childbirth, and is usually due to the fact that a woman with syphilis does not receive adequate treatment for the disease. Syphilis during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage, malformations, or death of the baby at birth. In live babies, symptoms may appear from the first few weeks of life to more than 2 years after birth and include:
Treatment of congenital syphilis is usually done with 2 penicillin injections for 10 days or 2 penicillin injections for 14 days, depending on the child’s age.
Syphilis is curable and can be easily treated with penicillin injections, but treatment should be initiated as soon as possible to avoid serious complications in other organs such as the brain, heart and eyes, for example.
To confirm that it is syphilis, the doctor should examine the intimate area of the person and check intimate contact without a condom. Even if there is no pain in the genital area or other parts of the dome, your doctor may order a test called VDRL that identifies Treponema pallidum in your body. Learn all about the VDRL exam.
This test is usually done every gestational trimester in all pregnant women because syphilis is a serious disease that the mother can pass on to the baby, but can be easily cured with antibiotics prescribed by the doctor.