Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that can linger in the body for many years if not treated. Recognizing syphilis symptoms in each of its early stages of infection is important in order to get effective treatment and prevent giving syphilis to your partner.
Significance
It is easy to miss syphilis symptoms in the early stages. But the earlier syphilis is detected, the easier treatment is, the less damage the infection will cause to your body, and the less risk there is of passing it along to others. If syphilis is not treated early, infection can damage organs like the liver, brain, eyes and nervous system. Some of this damage may be permanent.
Types
There are different stages and symptoms of syphilis infection. Primary syphilis is the early stage of syphilis, and occurs after infection, with a painless sore -- called a chancre -- that develops on the area where the syphilis-causing organism entered the body. A chancre is small, round, firm and painless. You may develop one or more chancres. Chancres will go away without treatment, but you will still be infected.
Secondary syphilis occurs sometime after the chancre has healed, although secondary symptoms can occur while the sore is still there. Secondary symptoms include a reddish-brown, non-itchy rash, especially on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. Other symptoms can include fever, fatigue, nausea, aches, sore throat and swollen lymph nodes. Symptoms may be so mild that you don't notice them, although they can keep coming back if the infection is not treated.
Tertiary syphilis is the final stage of syphilis, after the infection has continued for years without treatment. Syphilis infects various body organs, including the brain, nervous system and eyes, and can cause dementia and blindness.
Prevention/Solution
The only 100 percent effective way to prevent contracting syphilis is to avoid having sex with a partner who has not been tested for syphilis. If you are sexually active, protect yourself -- and your partners -- by using condoms, being honest about your sexual history, and having regular physical exams and blood tests for syphilis and other sexually transmitted diseases.
If you have been tested for syphilis and you are infected, you will be treated with either a simple shot of antibiotics or more antibiotic injections if you have been infected for more than a year.
Considerations
Condoms can be used to protect against many sexually transmitted diseases. However, the sores associated with syphilis can occur on areas of the genitals not covered by a condom. And since syphilis sores can be easily overlooked, it is important to remember that condoms are not 100 percent effective in preventing spread of this disease.
Warning
Having sex with someone who has active syphilis chancres increases the risk of transmitting HIV -- the virus believed to cause AIDS -- by 2 to 5 times. Pregnant women should always be tested for syphilis, since you can pass the infection along to your unborn baby and increase the risk of miscarriage or having a stillborn child.
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