Syphilis

Key points

• It is tough to diagnose Syphilis. A person could be infected for years without exhibiting any symptoms.
• If left untreated for a long period, syphilis can severely damage vital organs like the brain and heart.
• Syphilis is not transmitted through sharing clothes, utensils, or the toilet. It is transmitted only via direct contact with sores, called chancres.
• People infected with syphilis have a greater chance of getting HIV, as it becomes easier for HIV to enter the body through sores.
• People who already are HIV-positive may experience different symptoms of syphilis. It is important to discuss how to recognize its symptoms with a doctor.

How does it enter the body?

Bacteria enter the body through direct contact with sores that may appear on the rectum, inside the mouth, and on the sex organs of the infected person.

The first sign of this disease is a small sore, which is often painless. In many cases, people don’t take this seriously and may ignore it.

Congenital syphilis is when the syphilis bacteria enter the fetus through the infected mother’s womb. This condition can wreak havoc in a newborn’s body and even lead to its death. Babies born with this disease show the following symptoms:

• Delay in development
• Deformities
• Swollen spleen or liver
• Infectious sores
• Fever
• Seizures
• Rashes
• Jaundice
• Anemia

If the disease is not detected in time, the baby can reach the last stage of the disease. This may damage his or her brain, eyes, ears, bones, and teeth.

Moreover, pregnant women carrying the bacteria may experience stillbirth, miscarriage, or premature birth.

Stages of syphilis

The disease is classified in four stages:

1. Primary
2. Secondary
3. Latent
4. Tertiary

The first two stages are the most infectious.

The latent or hidden stage shows no symptoms and is not infectious either. However, the bacteria stay active. The last stage, i.e., tertiary is the most damaging one to health.

1. Primary stage

The infection occurs through direct contact with the chancre. This usually happens during sex and, if the sore is inside the mouth, means the bacteria can also spread via oral sex.

In some cases, the sore can appear as quickly as 10 days or as late as 90 days. The sore may stay on skin for 2-6 weeks.

The disease occurs through direct contact with chancre. This usually happens during sex and, if the sore is inside the mouth, that means the bacteria have entered via oral sex.

2. Secondary stage

In this stage, the infected person gets a sore throat and skin rashes, which don’t itch, but may develop anywhere on the body – more often on the soles and palms.

Other symptoms include:

• Swollen lymph glands
• Hair loss
• Weight loss
• Pain in joints
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Headaches

Symptoms usually go away by themselves; but without treatment, the person is still vulnerable to further infection. This stage of syphilis is generally mistaken for some other disease.

3. Latent stage

This is also called the hidden stage, perhaps because the primary and secondary stage symptoms have gone away and there are no obvious symptoms present now. Yet, the bacteria are still present in the body; and so the person is still infected.

At this stage, two things can happen:

• Secondary symptoms may resurface.
• No symptom may appear and the person stays in this stage for several years before the disease progresses to the last stage.

4. Tertiary stage

This is the last stage of the disease and is life-threatening. About 15%-30% of patients who fail to receive treatment for the disease in the earlier stages enter the tertiary stage. This may begin years or even decades after the initial infection.

The last stage is dangerous and can produce the following outcomes:

• Heart disease
• Loss of memory
• Mental illness
• Deafness
• Blindness
• Neurological disorders like meningitis or stroke
• Damage of soft tissue and bone
• Neurosyphlilis (infection of spinal cord or brain)