Syphilis is a kind of sexually transmitted infections caused by the bacterium called Spiroset Treponema Pallidum. It is primarily spread by sexual contact including oral and anal sex. Even, this disease also can be transmitted by bodily contact like long kissing. In a number of cases, syphilis spread by homosexual couple.
This infection can also be passed from a pregnant woman who suffers the disease to fetus during her pregnancy. That condition results congenital syphilis, which can cause the baby born abnormally, or even die.
Can this infection transmitted by touching door knobs, taking a bath in swimming pools or bath tubs, sharing clothing and eating utensils, or sitting on toilet seats? The answer is no. Syphilis cannot be spread by those ways.
One of the effects of this disease is the emersion of sores on skin. But, most of infected people cannot recognize the sores especially in the early time they get the disease. They usually don’t aware that they have been infected and pass the infection to their sexual partner or to their fetus.
That’s why, it is very important to know the symptoms of this disease to take the right action to overcome it as early as possible. As long as a person suffers the disease, the symptom may change or even diminish automatically. But that’s not a good news at all. Cause it can be worse one time and the infection still at risk to pass on.
Syphilis progress in four stages: primary, secondary, latent and tertiary. Each stage shows different symptoms of syphilis.
1. Symptoms of Primary Syphilis
The first symptoms of syphilis often appear in about 2 or 3 weeks since infection. But in some cases, the symptoms come after more than 3 to 90 days. This stage is called primary syphilis.
In general, there is no significant differences between symptoms of syphilis in men and symptoms of syphilis in women. Here the symptoms are:
1. A small sore called a chancre appears. This sort is painless so you cannot really aware you have it.
2. Symptoms of syphilis in men marked by the emersion of a chancre typically on their penis, though sometimes it doesn’t occur there. This chancre is also painless and can be seen if they check their genitals skin carefully.
3. Symptoms of syphilis in women marked by the emersion of a chancre either on their outer or inner part of their genitals. It’s usually difficult to see the chancre if it appears at the cervix or opening to the uterus. Especially if it is inside the vagina.
4. Not only on genitals, it may be found around the anus or buttock, in mouth, on lips and fingers.
5. Majority of infected people have only one chancre. Some other have some chancres.
6. There may be swollen glands in other parts of body like neck, armpits, groin, or near the area of the sores.
7. These symptoms usually last around 2 to 8 weeks and only leave a small scar. But it doesn’t mean that the syphilis has disappeared. Even, it will be getting worse when infected person doesn’t treat it. It may develop to the upper stage, secondary syphilis.
2. Symptoms of Secondary Syphilis
The next symptoms usually occur several weeks after the symptoms in primary syphilis end. The stage where the further symptoms appear is called “secondary syphilis. The symptoms in this stage are:
1. A red rash appears on any part of body. This blotchy rash is often arise on the palms or soles.
2. Symptoms of syphilis in men and women are almost same. There will be some small skin growths just like wart around their anus. For women, these are also often found on their vulva.
3. Several white patches develop in mouth.
4. The infected people will also feel like flu. They are getting tired easily, have headaches, pains and fever.
5. As like the symptoms in primary stage, again, there will be swollen glands in some parts or body.
6. For some people, they will experience patchy hair loss.
These symptoms usually occur within some weeks. But they may come and go in several months. At last, the symptoms will disappear. If there is no treatment in this stage, the disease will go up to the next stage, named “latent syphilis” which doesn’t show any symptoms anymore.
3. There is no Symptoms in Latent Syphilis
Latent syphilis is the third stage of the infection without showing any symptoms of disease. The infected people will come to this stage in less or more than 1 year after secondary syphilis. At the first time experiencing this latent syphilis symptoms may be recur. But these will be disappear as latent syphilis develop.
4. Serious Problem in Tertiary Syphilis
About 3 to 15 years after the initial infection, the forth stage named tertiary syphilis will occur if there is no action to cure the disease before. This is the severest condition of the disease where the people who suffer this disease will experience disruption in among their urgent parts of body.
There are 3 forms of this tertiary syphilis: Gummatous Syphilis, Late Neurosyphilis and Cardiovascular Syphilis. Gummatous syphilis is marked by chronic gummas with soft and tumor-like form. The size of these gummas may be varies. They can grow in any area of body but typically will give bad effect to skin, bone, and liver. Gummatous syphilis usually occurs in range 1-46 years.
There are a number of serious problems people with tertiary syphilis may suffer. It will create new other disease like meningitis, strokes, and dementia symptoms. It also can cause loss of coordination ability, numbness, worsening of vision or blindness, and heart problems.
Although this is the final and also the worst stage of syphilis, it is still possible to treat the disease. But usually, it is difficult to improve the damage the infected people have got.
As sexually transmitted infections, syphilis causes problem especially in genital at first. But after long time the infected people ignore the symptoms, this disease becomes malignant and attack many parts of body like skin, brain and heart. Of course it is totally important to overcome this disease. Prevent the transmission and treat the infection by recognizing the symptoms of syphilis for healthier future!
