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What is Syphilis? |
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Symptoms
Syphilis as an infection often acquired through sexual contact. It afflicts the genitals as well as the surrounding skin and membranes, but it can also infect various other areas of the body, such as the brain and the heart. Cases of this bacterial infection are most prevalent in young adults; the spread has mounted steadily in women, but builds at an alarming rate in men, especially in those who engage in sexual intercourse with other men. The symptoms occur in several stages. The primary stage matures for up to three months following an exposure, and is indicated by a localized, painless sore on the area of the body where the infection started, accompanied by inflamed lymph nodes at the groin. The secondary phase occurs within two months of exposure, indicated by sore rashes, fever, feebleness, and body aches. A latent phase follows the last one, wherein no symptoms surface; sometimes, the disease dissipates, but it can move on to the tertiary stage, wherein the bacteria spreads to the vital organs, causing neurological and cardiovascular complications like stroke or an inflamed aorta.
Causes
Syphilis is highly-transmissible during the first two stages, and sometimes early on in the third phase. The organism which causes it (treponema pallidum) invades the body via cuts and rashes in the skin or the membranes, and the usual mode of infection is made through physical contact with another person’s infected sore, while having sexual contact. Syphilis may also be transmitted through blood transfusion, with direct physical contact with an infected lesion, and from an infected mother to a conceived fetus. The bacteria is highly sensitive to sudden changes in temperature, as well as to prolonged exposure to air and light, so it is only communicable with direct contact.
Diagnosis
Painless sores which occur in the genitals, especially if these are accompanied by inflamed lymph nodes on the groin, are classic signs of syphilis; an immediate consultation with a doctor can prevent the spread of the infection and the development of life-threatening complications. The doctor obtains a diagnosis by scraping a sample from the sore, which is then examined under magnification in a laboratory. Blood tests can also confirm the existence of antibodies which respond to the spread of the bacteria. If the patient is in the latent period of the disease, blood testing is the most expedient method for diagnosis. If the doctor believes that the bacteria have moved on into the brain, a sample of the cerebrospinal fluid may also be retrieved for analysis.
Treatment Info
A medication treatment of penicillin or a similar antibiotic can eradicate the bacteria and stop its progression. If it is transferred to a child while it is in the womb, both the mother and the newborn should undergo separate treatments. For the first day of treatment the patient may undergo through the Jarisch-Herxheimer response, which is the result of the extermination of many bacteria simultaneously; flu-like fever and chills may be experienced, as well as body aches and migraines, but these usually dissipates within the day.
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