Content

• Steps
• Advice
• Warning

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by bacteria Treponema pallidum cause. If left untreated, it can cause permanent damage to nerves, tissue, and brain. This chronic disease affects almost every cell tissue and organ in the body. The incidence of syphilis decreased until 2000, but then increased again (mainly in men). In 2013, there were 56,471 new cases in the United States alone. You need to learn to recognize symptoms and treat them if you suspect you have syphilis. Even if you don't get sick, you should learn how to prevent it.

Steps

Part 1 of 3: Identifying the symptoms of syphilis

1. 

   Find out the path of infection. After you learn how syphilis spreads you will know whether you are at risk or not. Syphilis is spread from person to person through contact with the disease sores. These sores appear on the penis and outside the vaginal area, or in the vaginal, anal and rectal lines. They can also appear on the lips and in the mouth.
   • You are at risk if you have had vaginal, anal, or oral sex with an infected person.
   • However, you are only infected by direct contact with the infected wound. Syphilis cannot be spread by sharing bowls, toilets, doorknobs, bathtubs or swimming pools.
   • Men who have sex with each other are very susceptible to syphilis, in 2013 75% of the new cases were caused by this sex route. Safe sex is especially important for men who have sex with men.

2. 

   
   
   Remember that many people are completely unaware even though they have been carrying syphilis for many years. The first stage of the disease has no significant symptoms, so many people may not realize they have syphilis. Even if they see the ulcer and the symptom, they still don't know it's a sexually transmitted disease, and leave it untreated for a long time. Small ulcers develop very slowly for 1-20 years after infection, so the carrier infects others without even knowing it.

3. 

   
   
   Recognize your symptoms in stage 1. Syphilis has 3 phases: stage 1, 2, and 3. Stage 1 usually begins about 3 weeks after being exposed to the ulcer. However, symptoms can appear any time between 10-90 days after first exposure.
   • Stage 1 usually presents as a painless sore called a "chancre", with a small, stiff, and painless round shape. It is common to have only one ulcer, but there may be more.
   • These sores appear exactly where bacteria enter the body, most commonly the mouth, genitals, and anus.
   • The sore will heal on its own in about 4 to 8 weeks and leave no scars, but this does not mean the disease is gone. Without proper treatment, the infection gradually develops into stage 2.

4. 

   
   
   Distinguish the difference between stage 1 and 2. Stage 2 begins about 4 to 8 weeks after the first infection, and lasts 1 to 3 months. Characterized by this stage is a "macular rash" on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. This rash is not itchy but produces rough, reddish-brown spots on the skin. At this time, the types of boards with a slightly different appearance also appear in other parts. Sometimes people don't realize they have a rash, or don't think it's caused by syphilis, which is often the reason for late treatment.
   • Not only a rash but also other symptoms appear in stage 2, but people often confuse them with other illnesses such as the flu or stress.
   • These symptoms include: fatigue, muscle aches, fever, sore throat, headache, swollen lymph glands, loss of patches of hair, and weight loss.
   • About a third of untreated syphilis in stage 2 will develop latent stage or stage 3. The latent stage is the asymptomatic period, which occurs before stage 3.

5. 

   Learn to differentiate latent and stage 3 symptoms. The latent phase begins when the symptoms of stage 1 and 2 disappear. Syphilis bacteria remain in the body but no longer have any signs or symptoms. The latent period can last for many years. However, about a third of patients who do not receive treatment during this stage will develop into stage 3 with very severe symptoms. It may take 10 to 40 years after the first stage 3 infection appears.
   • At this time syphilis can attack the brain, heart, eyes, liver, bones, and joints. The injury was severe enough to cause death.
   • Other stage 3 symptoms include motor difficulty, stiffness, paralysis, progressive blindness, and dementia.

6. 

   Be alert for syphilis symptoms in a newborn. If a pregnant woman has syphilis they can pass the bacteria to the fetus through the placenta. The good prenatal care helps your doctor to prepare a response to possible complications. The most common symptoms in babies with syphilis include:
   • Fever in episodes
   • Enlarged spleen and enlarged liver
   • Swollen lymph nodes
   • Chronic sneezing or runny nose without knowing the cause of the allergy (persistent rhinitis)
   • A maculopapular rash on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet

Part 2 of 3: Diagnosis and treatment of syphilis

1. 

   See a doctor if you suspect you have syphilis. See your doctor right away if you think you have been exposed to a sore, or if you have unusual discharge, ulcers, or a rash, especially on your genitals.

2. 

   Get tested periodically if you are in the "at risk" group. The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) specifically recommends that those in the "at-risk" group get tested for syphilis every year, even if they do not have symptoms. However, research shows that if you are not a “at-risk” subject, then there is no point in screening testing. In fact, this also makes you worry or take antibiotics unnecessarily. People in the “at-risk” group are those who:
   • Indiscriminate sex
   • Have a positive relationship with syphilis
   • HIV infection
   • Are pregnant women
   • Are men who have a homosexual relationship

3. 

   Blood test to confirm the diagnosis. The most effective way to diagnose syphilis is a blood test that looks for antibodies to the disease. Syphilis testing is inexpensive and easy to do, and you can do it in a clinic or hospital. Health care workers will use one of the following methods to find antibodies to syphilis in the blood:
   • Test for no treponemal contamination: This test is suitable for screening purposes, with approximately 70% accuracy. If the result is positive, the doctor will confirm the diagnosis by testing for treponemal infection.
   • Treponemal infection test: Treponemal antibody test is more specific, used to confirm, rather than just screening.
   • Health-care workers test for syphilis by taking a sample of the ulcer suspected to be caused by the disease. They looked at the sample under a specialized microscope to look for the bacteria treponema pallidum that caused syphilis.
   • All syphilis patients should be tested for HIV.

4. 

   Treatment with antibiotics. Syphilis is quite easy to treat with the right medical care. Detecting the disease as soon as easy to treat, if the disease is detected within the first year, only a single dose of penicillin can be completely cured.Antibiotics are very effective against early syphilis, but less effective when treatment is delayed. People who have been sick for more than a year may need several doses of antibiotics. Patients in latent or stage 3 must take 3 doses per week.
   • Tell your doctor if you are allergic to penicillin. They will replace them with a drug doxycycline or tetracycline with a 2-week treatment period. Keep in mind that these medications may not be suitable for pregnant women because of the risk of a birth defect. If this is the case, your doctor will find other treatments for you.

5. 

   Do not treat syphilis yourself. The drugs penicillin, doxycycline and tetracycline work on the principle of destroying syphilis bacteria and expelling them from the body. No over-the-counter medicine or self-treatment can do this. Only a doctor can prescribe the correct dose of medicine needed for the disease.
   • Although the medicine can cure the syphilis, it cannot repair the damage that has already happened.
   • Note that testing and treatment is similar for babies.

6. 

   Have your doctor follow up on your recovery. After you have completed the course of treatment your doctor will order a test for non-treponemal infection every 3 months. This helps them monitor your response to the medication. If the test results do not show improvement within 6 months, that indicates the drug is not suitable or there is a re-infection.

7. 

   Avoid having sex until the disease is completely cured. It is imperative that you avoid having sex during your treatment, especially with a new partner. As long as the sores do not heal and your doctor can not confirm that the syphilis is cured, you are still at risk of infecting others.
   • You should notify previous sexual partners about your syphilis so they can also get tested and treated.

Part 3 of 3: Preventing syphilis

1. 

   Use natural condoms, polyurethane condoms or mouth guards. Wearing a condom during vaginal, anal, or oral sex can reduce your risk of getting syphilis. However, you must wear a condom to cover the sore or site of infection. Always use a condom with a new partner because they themselves don't know if they have syphilis - especially if they don't have visible sores.
   • Remember that you are still at risk for syphilis even if the ulcer is covered by a condom.
   • It is best to wear mouth guards when having oral sex with women, as they can cover a larger area than the condom is cut out. But if you don't have a mouth guard, you can cut a male condom for temporary use.
   • Condoms made from natural rubber or polyurethane materials are equally effective against sexually transmitted infections. Condoms made from "sheep intestine" cannot effectively protect against disease.
   • Use a new condom every time you have sex. Do not reuse a condom, even in a single intercourse (vaginal, anal, or oral), you must also use several condoms for each form.
   • Use water-based lubricants with a natural condom. Oil-based lubricants such as pure petroleum-distilled wax, mineral oil or body oil can weaken the natural rubber material and increase the risk of infection.

2. 

   Avoid indiscriminate sex. You cannot be sure that your newly known sex partners do not carry a sexually transmitted infection. Therefore, you should avoid indiscriminate sex. If you are sure that your partner has syphilis, you should avoid having sex with them altogether, even if they carry a condom.
   • The best option is to have a monogamous relationship, have a long-term relationship with a negative partner for syphilis or other sexually transmitted diseases.

3. 

   Avoid drinking too much alcohol or taking drugs. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends not drinking too much alcohol or taking drugs. These substances increase the risk of users performing risky sexual behaviors and place them in a "high risk" group.

4. 

   Get proper prenatal care if you're pregnant. Pregnant women must be well cared for, which means tested for syphilis. Health experts and the USPSTF team recommend that all pregnant women get screened as syphilis can spread from mother to child, causing serious illness or death in a newborn.
   • Infants born with syphilis from their mothers are often underweight, premature, or stillborn.
   • Even if the baby is born with no symptoms, the disease will get worse in just a few weeks if left untreated. Syphilis causes problems such as deafness, cataracts, epilepsy and the risk of death.
   • This can be avoided if a pregnant woman gets tested for syphilis during her pregnancy and at the time of delivery. If the test is positive, both mother and baby must be treated.

Advice

• Syphilis is easy to treat if caught early. If the patient has had syphilis for less than a year, only one dose of penicillin can be cured. Conversely, you need to use multiple doses if the disease has lasted for more than a year.
• The best way to avoid a sexually transmitted infection is to control libido, or to be faithful in monogamous relationships with someone who is not sick.
• Syphilis cannot be spread by sharing chopsticks, doorknobs, swimming pools or toilets.
• People who are being treated should not have sex until the syphilis has completely healed. If you find out that you have syphilis, you should also let your partner know so they can seek treatment.
• Doctors diagnose syphilis by taking a sample to test the chancre, in addition a blood test can also detect the disease. These two tests are inexpensive, simple, but accurate and can save your life, so see your doctor if you suspect you have syphilis.

Warning

• You can easily spread and HIV infection when exposed to petrol during sexual activity.
• Sperm-lubricated condoms are no more effective than other lubricated condoms in preventing sexually transmitted diseases.
• There is no over-the-counter medicine or self-treatment that can cure syphilis.
• Without treatment, pregnant women infected with syphilis can infect and cause death of their fetuses.