Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by infection with the bacterium Treponema pallidum. This disease can cause permanent damage to nerves, body tissues, and brain if left untreated. This disease is chronic and systemic, which attacks almost all organs and tissues of the body. Syphilis cases declined until 2000, but then increased (especially in men). In the United States alone, in 2013 there were 56,471 cases of syphilis reported. You must learn to recognize the symptoms and seek treatment if you suspect you have syphilis. Even if you do not suffer from this disease, you should also know how to prevent it.
Step
Part 1 of 3: Recognizing the Symptoms of Syphilis
Step 1. Understand how syphilis is transmitted
Once you know how syphilis is transmitted from one person to another, you can estimate the risk for yourself. This disease is transmitted from one person to another through contact with syphilis sores. These sores may appear on the outside of the penis or vagina, or they may be inside the vaginal canal, anus, and rectum. These sores may also appear on the lips and the inside of the mouth.
- If you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex with someone with this disease, you are at risk of contracting syphilis.
- However, you must come into direct contact with an infected person. Syphilis is not spread by sharing eating utensils, toilet seats, door handles, bathtubs or swimming pools.
- Men who have sex with men have a greater chance of contracting syphilis, which is about 75% of new syphilis cases reported in 2013. Thus, the use of protection is very important in male-male sexual relations.
Step 2. Know that carriers of syphilis can go years without knowing it
In its early stages, the disease does not show significant symptoms, and many people do not even know they have syphilis. Even if carriers are aware of the sores and symptoms of the disease, they may not recognize it as an STD, and leave it without any treatment for a long time. Because open sores may appear gradually between 1-20 years after the initial infection, carriers of the disease may not realize they have passed it on to others.
Step 3. Recognize the symptoms of primary syphilis
There are three phases of syphilis disease development: primary, secondary, and tertiary / advanced. Primary syphilis usually begins between 10 and 90 days after infection.
- Primary syphilis most often begins with the appearance of a sore called a chancre. This wound is small, in the form of hard circles that do not hurt. Generally, only 1 wound appears, but it could be more.
- These wounds appear when the disease begins to enter the body. The location of syphilis infection is generally the mouth, genitals, and anus.
- These sores will heal on their own within 4-8 weeks, and leave no scars. However, this does not mean the syphilis infection has been cured. Without proper treatment, this infection will actually progress to the secondary phase.
Step 4. Distinguish between primary and secondary syphilis
Secondary syphilis generally begins between 4-8 weeks after the initial infection, and lasts for 1 to 3 months. This phase begins with the appearance of a maculopapular rash on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. This rash is usually not itchy, but causes reddish-brown patches on the skin. At the same time, rashes with a slightly different appearance may appear on other parts of the body. People are usually unaware of the appearance of a rash or assume that this symptom is caused by something else. As a result, treatment of the actual cause of the disease is usually too late.
- Other symptoms will also appear in this phase. However, other symptoms are sometimes mistaken for other problems, such as the flu or stress.
- These symptoms include: fatigue, muscle aches, fever, sore throat, headache, swollen lymph glands, hair loss, and weight loss.
- About a third of patients who do not receive treatment in this secondary phase will enter the latent phase or tertiary syphilis. The latent phase is the asymptomatic period before the start of the tertiary phase.
Step 5. Distinguish between latent and tertiary syphilis symptoms
The latent phase begins when phase 1 and 2 symptoms disappear. Syphilis bacteria are still alive in the body, but do not cause any signs or symptoms of the disease. This phase can last for years. However, about a third of patients who do not receive treatment will enter the tertiary phase accompanied by severe symptoms. Tertiary syphilis may not appear until 10-40 years after initial infection.
- Tertiary syphilis can cause damage to the brain, heart, eyes, liver, bones, and joints. This damage may even be so serious as to cause death.
- Other tertiary phase symptoms include difficulty moving muscles, numbness, paralysis, blindness, and dementia.
Step 6. Watch for symptoms of syphilis in babies
Syphilis infection can be transmitted from mother to fetus in the womb through the placenta. Proper prenatal care should be able to avoid complications in the baby. The most common symptoms accompanying infants infected with syphilis include:
- Intermittent fever
- Enlarged spleen and liver (hepatosplenomegaly)
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Chronic sneezing or runny nose with no apparent allergen (prolonged rhinitis)
- Maculopapular rash on palms and soles
Part 2 of 3: Diagnosing and Treating Syphilis
Step 1. See a doctor if you suspect you have syphilis
If you suspect that you have come into contact with a syphilis sore, see a doctor immediately. Also see a doctor if you notice abnormal discharge, sores or rashes, especially around the genitals.
Step 2. Check yourself regularly if you are in the "at risk" group
Even if there are no symptoms, people at risk are strongly encouraged to have a syphilis test every year. However, research shows that if you are not "at risk", these routine syphilis screenings will not be helpful. This examination may actually result in the administration of unnecessary antibiotics or antianxiety drugs. You are classified as "at risk" if:
- Having sex with multiple partners
- Having a sexual partner who is detected as positive for syphilis
- HIV infected
- Pregnant
- You are a man who has sex with other men
Step 3. Get a blood test to confirm the diagnosis
The most efficient way to detect syphilis is through a syphilis antibody test in the blood. This syphilis test is inexpensive and quite easy to do, you can even do it at a doctor's clinic or health center. The laboratory analyst will use one of the methods below to check the level of syphilis antibodies in the blood:
- Nontreponemal test: this test is very suitable for the initial examination of syphilis, and the accuracy of the results is up to 70%. If this test gives a positive result, the doctor will confirm it with a treponemal test.
- Treponemal test: this antibody test is more specific, and is used to confirm previous results, not for initial testing.
- Some laboratory analysts also check for syphilis by taking samples from the sores it is suspected to have caused. This sample will be examined under a special microscope for the presence of the bacteria that causes syphilis, Treponema pallidum.
- All patients should also be tested for HIV infection.
Step 4. Use antibiotics
With proper medical treatment, syphilis is actually quite easy to treat and cure. The earlier it is diagnosed, the easier it is to cure syphilis. If treated within 1 year, a single dose of penicillin alone can cure this disease. Antibiotics are very effective in the early phase of syphilis infection, but their effect is less in late syphilis. People who have had syphilis for more than 1 year may need treatment of several antibiotics at once. People with latent or tertiary syphilis may need 3 doses of antibiotics every week.
Tell your doctor if you are allergic to penicillin. Your doctor will likely suggest 2 weeks of doxycycline or tetracycline therapy instead. Note that these two antibiotics should not be used by pregnant women, because of the risk of causing defects in the baby. If you are pregnant, your doctor will provide other treatment options
Step 5. Don't treat syphilis yourself
Penicillin, doxycycline, and tetracycline work by killing the syphilis bacteria and removing it from the body. There are no home remedies and over-the-counter medications that have this effect. Only a doctor can prescribe the dose of medication needed to cure syphilis.
- Although medication can cure syphilis, the damage that has been done is irreversible.
- Note that this examination and treatment process also applies to infants.
Step 6. Let the doctor monitor the progress of your condition
After completing treatment, the doctor will repeat the nontreponemal test every 3 months. If the results of this test do not show improvement after 6 months, it is possible that the treatment given is not sufficient, or there is a recurrent infection that must be treated.
Step 7. Stop having sex until your infection clears up
You should stop having sex while you are being treated for syphilis, especially with a new partner. You are at risk of transmitting this disease to others until the wounds from the disease heal and are declared syphilis-free by the doctor.
You should share the diagnosis of this disease with all your sexual partners beforehand, so they can get checked out and treat it
Part 3 of 3: Preventing Syphilis
Step 1. Use a latex or polyurethane condom, or a dental dam
Wearing a condom during vaginal, anal, or oral sex can reduce the risk of contracting syphilis. However, the wound or infected site must be fully protected with a condom. Always wear a condom during sexual intercourse with a new partner, as they may not know if they have contracted syphilis, especially if there are no visible open sores.
- Be aware that you may still catch syphilis if the wound is not fully protected by a condom.
- Wearing a dental dam is the right step during oral sex with women, because this device can protect a wider area than an open condom. However, if you don't have a dental dam, just peel off the condom and put it on.
- Latex and polyurethane condoms provide the same protection against STDs and HIV. Natural or lambskin condoms are not enough to protect you from STDs.
- Use a new condom every time you start a different sexual relationship. Do not use condoms repeatedly for different types of penetration (vaginal, anal, or oral) in a sexual relationship.
- Use a water-based lubricant when using latex condoms. Oil-based lubricants such as petroleum jelly, mineral oil, or lotion can loosen latex and make you more susceptible to contracting STDs.
Step 2. Avoid casual sex
There is no guarantee that your sexual partner will not have STDs. Thus, you should stay away from sexual relations like this. If you find out that your partner has syphilis, avoid having sex with them altogether, even by wearing a condom.
The safest option is to have a long-term relationship with one person who has been declared free of syphilis or another STD
Step 3. Avoid excessive use of alcohol or illegal drugs
The use of alcohol and illegal drugs is strongly discouraged. Consumption of alcohol and illegal drugs can increase a person's chances of having unsafe sex, putting you in the "at risk" category.
Step 4. Seek care during pregnancy
Care during pregnancy is very important for pregnant women. This treatment also includes screening for syphilis. Health workers recommend that all pregnant women be examined because syphilis can be transmitted from mother to fetus, causing serious illness and even death.
- Babies who contract syphilis from their mothers are more likely to have low birth weight, be born prematurely, or even die in the womb.
- Even if they are born without symptoms, babies who don't get treatment can develop serious health problems within a few weeks. These problems include deafness, cataracts, seizures, and even death.
- All of this can be avoided if the mother is tested for syphilis during pregnancy and at the time of delivery of the baby. If the syphilis test is positive, both mother and baby can be treated.
Tips
- Syphilis is easy to treat if detected early. People who have had syphilis for less than 1 year will be treated with penicillin injection. Several more doses of penicillin are needed to treat syphilis in patients who have had it for more than 1 year.
- People who are still undergoing treatment for syphilis should not have sex until the sores are completely healed. People with syphilis should notify their sexual partners for treatment if necessary.
- Syphilis cannot be transmitted through cutlery, doorknobs, swimming pools, or toilet seats.
- The most effective way to avoid STDs including syphilis is to avoid sexual intercourse altogether or have a long-term relationship with a partner who has been declared free of infection.
- Doctors can diagnose syphilis by examining a sample of the sore (chancre). Doctors can also detect syphilis through a blood test. Both are accurate and inexpensive, but can save lives. See a doctor if you suspect you have syphilis.
Warning
- Wounds on the genitals are easier to transmit and contract HIV during sexual intercourse.
- Condoms lubricated with spermicide are no more effective than other condoms in preventing STD transmission.
- There are no home remedies or over-the-counter medications that can cure syphilis.
- Untreated syphilis in pregnant women can be contagious and may kill the fetus in the womb.
