What Is Syphilis?

Syphilis is a highly contagious disease cause by a bacteria (not a virus)  known as Treponema palladium. Although this disease is spread from sores ( known as chancres), the vast majority of those sores go unrecognized. The infected person is often unaware of the disease and unknowingly passes it on to his or her sexual partner. 

​

How is Syphilis get transmitted to a person?

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that can escalate severely without treatment:

• Vaginal sex.

• Anal sex.

• Oral sex.

• Occasionally, the disease can be passed to another person through prolonged kissing or close bodily contact.

• Infected mother to newborn.

​

The hepatitis C virus is a blood-borne virus and the most common modes of infection are through exposure to small quantities of blood! 

​

How can I tell if I have Syphilis? Are there symptoms?

Syphilis is categorized by three stages with varied symptoms associated with each stage. However, in some cases, there can be no symptoms for several years.

Contagious stages include primary, secondary, and, occasionally, the early latent phase.

Tertiary syphilis is not contagious, but it has the most dangerous symptoms.

​

Primary symptoms: The symptoms of primary syphilis are one or many painless, firm, and round syphilitic sores called chancres. These appear about 3 weeks after exposure. Chancres disappear within 3 to 6 weeks, but, without treatment, the disease may progress to the next phase.

 

Secondary symptoms:  Secondary syphilis symptoms include:

• A non-itchy rash that starts on the trunk and spreads to the entire body, including the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. It may be rough, red, or reddish-brown in color

• Oral, anal, and genital wart-like sores

• Muscle aches

• Fever

• Sore throat

• Swollen lymph nodes

• Patchy hair loss

• Headaches

• Weight loss

• Fatigue

These symptoms can resolve a few weeks after they appear, or they can return several times over a longer period.

Untreated, secondary syphilis can progress to the latent and late stages.

 

Latent syphilis: The latent phase can last several years. During this time the body will harbor the disease without symptoms.

After this, tertiary syphilis may develop, or the symptoms may never come back. However, the T. pallidum bacteria remain dormant in the body, and there is always a risk of recurrence.

Treatment is still recommended, even if symptoms are not present.

​

Late or tertiary syphilis: Tertiary syphilis can occur 10 to 30 years after onset of the infection, normally after a period of latency, where there are no symptoms.

Symptoms include:

• Damage to the heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints

• Gummas, or soft tissue swellings that occur anywhere on the body

Organ damage means that tertiary syphilis can often be fatal.

 

Neurosyphilis: Neurosyphilis is a condition where the bacteria has spread to the nervous system. It is often associated with latent and tertiary syphilis, but it can appear at any time after the primary stage.

It may be asymptomatic for a long time, or it can appear gradually.

Symptoms include:

• Dementia or altered mental status

• Abnormal gait

• Numbness in the extremities

• Problems with concentration

• Confusion

• Headache or seizures

• vVsion problems or vision loss

• Weakness

 

Congenital syphilis

Congenital syphilis is severe and frequently life-threatening. Infection can transfer from a mother to her fetus through the placenta, and also during the birth process.

Data suggests that without screening and treatment, 70 percent of women with syphilis will have an adverse outcome in pregnancy.

Adverse outcomes include early fetal death, preterm or low birth weight, neonatal deaths, and infection in infants.

Symptoms in newborns include:

• Saddle nose, in which the bridge of the nose is missing

• Fever

• Difficulty gaining weight

• A rash of the genitals, anus, and mouth

• Small blisters on the hands and feet that change to a copper-colored rash and spread to the face, which can be bumpy or flat

• Watery nasal fluid

Older infants and young children may experience:

• Hutchinson teeth, or abnormal, peg-shaped teeth

• Bone pain

• Vision loss

• Hearing loss

• Joint swelling

• Saber shins, a bone problem in the lower legs

• Scarring of the skin around the genitals, anus, and mouth

• Gray patches around the outer vagina and anus

​

Don't wait for symptoms to show up. If you find out you're infected soon after it happens, you'll have more options for treatment and care to help prevent you from getting sick.

​

Can latex condoms prevent HBV?

When used consistently and correctly, they're very good at stopping the spread of HBV during sex. But condom use can't give you perfect protection.

The chances are increased of course if the condom break during sex, specially anal sex.

The surest ways to avoid getting Syphilis is not have sex or to be in a long-term relationship with a partner who's tested negative and you're exclusive with each other. There is NO VACCINE for Syphilis.

​

Does your Always Be Sure kit detects Syphilis?

Yes! Always Be Sure Kit can detect the antibodies produced by the body against the Syphilis, thus providing early information for better treatment outcome.

​

How long it takes for the HIV to be detected in the blood?

In earlier methods, it was not possible to detect Syphilis before 3 to 6 months of exposure. with the development of diagnostic tools and methods, it became now possible to detect the Syphilis though the antibodies as soon as 21 days after possible exposure.