When you have vaginal, anal, or oral sex with a person who has syphilis, you may get an STI (sexually transmitted infection).
The disease is contracted through sexual intercourse and is caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. Frequently, the disease manifests as a painless sore on the lips, rectus, or genitalia. The disease can spread from one individual to another by skin or mucous membrane contact with these sores.
The syphilis bacteria can stay dormant in the body for decades following the first infection before coming back to life. Early symptoms can occasionally be healed with a single injection of penicillin.
The disease can be fatal if left untreated since it can seriously harm the heart, brain, or other organs. Mothers can also transmit the disease to unborn children.
Who is most at risk of getting sick??
Syphilis is a disease that anyone can get. However, some elements can make you more likely to get sick. The STI is more likely to occur in the following groups of people:
- Those who engage in several partners’ intercourse without using condom
- Males who interact sexually with men
- HIV-positive individuals
- Have engaged in sexual activity with a syphilis-positive person
The various stages:
1.Primary syphilis:
After being exposed to the disease for two to twelve weeks, the first stage begins. On your mouth or genitalia during this phase, a chancre, a smooth, hard sore, forms. You might not even be aware that you have a chancre because it is small and typically painless. In a few weeks or months, the pain naturally heals itself. However, this does not mean that you don’t have the disease. The infection advances to the second stage if you don’t get medical attention with medication. During this stage, you can transmit syphilis by oral, anal, or vaginal sex.
2. Secondary syphilis:
After the initial chancre has healed, you can experience a rash that starts on your trunk and spreads to cover your entire body, including the palms of your hands and the soles of your feet.
In addition to possible wart-like lesions in your mouth or genital region, this rash is often non-itchy. In addition, some patients have muscle aches, fever, a sore throat, hair loss, and enlarged lymph nodes. These warning signs and symptoms can go away after a few weeks, or they might recur periodically for up to a year.
3. Latent syphilis:
The third stage is the latent, or disguised, stage. The primary and secondary symptoms will have disappeared by this time, and there won’t be any visible symptoms. However, the body still contains the germs. Between this stage and tertiary syphilis, years may elapse.
4. Tertiary syphilis
It is a condition that affects 15% to 30% of patients who do not receive therapy. The illness may damage the liver, bones, joints, brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, and other vital organs in its latter stages. The original, untreated infection may cause these issues years later.
5. Neurosyphilis
This has the potential to spread at any stage and harm the brain, neurological system, and eye, among other organs.
Congenital syphilis: What is it?
When a pregnant woman transmits the disease to the foetus while pregnant, congenital syphilis develops. This can result in fatal health complications in infants and young children. One of your initial prenatal visits should involve a screening for STIs by your doctor. It’s critical to start treatment as soon as you are diagnosed with the disease.
Can kissing spread it?
Yes. While it’s uncommon to contract syphilis by kissing, it is possible to contract the disease through close contact with a syphilis sore. This means that if you kiss your partner’s wound, you run the danger of getting sick. Skin injury can also lead to the transmission of the infection. Therefore, if you think you have syphilis or were exposed to it, it’s imperative to get treatment.
Prevention
It is a condition that is curable. The best defense against this disease and many other STIs is regular, proper condom use. Syphilis can also be transmitted by touch with the genitalia, the anus, and the mouth—areas of the body not protected by a condom.
A minimum of once a year should be set aside for testing those at increased risk of infection.
Syphilis testing for expectant mothers should take place at their first prenatal appointment, and if positive, they should start treatment straight away. Only by diagnosing and treating the mother with penicillin can congenital syphilis be avoided.
The infected patients should inform their sexual partners of their diagnosis in order to prevent further infections.
Can it be cured?
Yes. Your healthcare provider might prescribe antibiotics to treat the disease. Antibiotics can treat the infection, but the syphilis-damaged organs cannot be fixed.
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