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| Syphilis |
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| Syphilis is another sexually transmitted disease. It can
be transmitted from an infected sex organ to an open cut in the skin of another
person. It usually penetrates the moist mucous membranes of the mouth, the
vagina, and the penis urethra, through which urine passes from the bladder to
the outside. |
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| Symptoms |
If Syphilis if not treated, it can occur in three
stages. The symptoms are slow to appear usually 10 -90 days after exposure.
The first stage can occur any time between two to four weeks after
infection has occurred. A painless ulcer develops at this site most of the
time. The ulcer starts as a red spot, turns into a pimple, which ulcerates,
forming a sore. The ulcer is usually found on the genitals or anus, but can
appear on any part of the skin, including the mouth. It usually heals in 4-6
weeks, leaving a thin scar. During this period the bacterium is circulating in
the blood throughout the body.
The second stage appears one to six
months after the ulcer heals, you feel generally ill, you have a fever and a
headache and lose your appetite. The glands in your neck, armpit and groin may
swell. Most people develop a skin rash that does not itch. The spots appear on
the palms of the hands and the bottom of the feet.
The symptoms
usually last three to six months. There is what you call a latent period where
there are no apparent symptoms, and the carrier is no longer contagious.
However, the organism is working itself into the host's tissues. There are 50
to 70 percent of the carriers that can live the rest of their lives in this
stage, without passing into the syphilis stage.
The last stage is the
serious stage. It flares up without warning. It can cause heart problems, eye
problems, brain and spinal cord damage, with a high probability of paralysis,
insanity, blindness or death. |
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| Treatment |
| Treatment is by penicillin injection, or a two-week
regimen of tetracycline, which is the standard treatment for syphilis. All
stages of syphilis are treatable and can be stopped. |
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| Transmission |
| The most common form of transmission is through sexual
intercourse. Syphilis can also be acquired by blood transfusion or from passed
from an infected mother to her fetus. |
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| Testing |
| The disease is detected by a blood test. |
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