Syphilis: Cause, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Treatment and Prevention

Syphilis – Syphilis is a very dangerous disease that has been around us for a very long time but still we know very less about it.it is curable with antibiotics and proper treatment but still, it is a concerning issue as if you got treated but the damages it has done to your body can not be treated or reversible. that’s why we need to know more about syphilis so that we can treat it at a very early stage and our body can be saved from future issues.in this article we will learn about it, what are the symptoms of it, how to treat it, and how to prevent it. By understanding it, we can spread awareness among youth so that our young youths’ health hazards can be reduced.

What is Syphilis?

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease, which is caused by a bacteria called treponema pallidum. This bacteria usually transfers from person to person while having sex or the direct contact with skin cutts. Or this can enter your body through the used drug injections. It can also enter babies while a mother is pregnant. But it can’t be transmitted to a person by causal touching like the patient has touched that object and you touch that you can get infected that’s a myth.

It can be treated with some medicines and antibiotics, but if it doesn’t get treated in an early stage it can cause a huge issue for a person. It can damage the brain, heart, eyes, liver, and blood vessels of a person. is common in people who are sexually active. And it increases the risk of getting HIV. Syphilis bacteria can stay in your body for years and you just can’t even know about that because it is painless.

Stages of Syphilis

When you get it for the first time you get a small sore and usually, it’s painless so most of the time people don’t even get the idea that they have syphilis because mostly it’s hidden in the vagina or anus. If it is treated in a very early stage it can be harmless and you can’t get infected again until you come into contact with syphilis patient again. According to doctors, there are four stages of syphilis. Let’s know about them.

Primary stage

In this stage bacteria just enters in your body.and you get a small sore on the part from where bacteria has entered in your body.and this sore appear after two to three weeks when you came into a contact with the infection.it is painless so you don’t get any problem with that and after three to six weeks that sore can also gets disappear. If it don’t get treated at this stage it enters a second stage called secondary stage.

Secondary stage

At this stage, you start having a rash on your body like your chest, stomach, hands, and soles of your feet. These rashes are not itchy. Rashes are reddish or brownish in color. And sometimes they are this much tiny that you can’t able to see them. Along with the rash you may experience some of these issues small sores in your mouth, hair fall, muscle ache, light fever, weight loss, tiredness, and sore throat. If you are seeing any of these symptoms you need to see a doctor immediately. So that your syphilis can be treated at the right time.

Later stage

If you are not treated in your secondary stage you enter the stage called later stage. This stage is also called a hidden stage because you don’t have any symptoms and your all previous symptoms can go but still bacteria stay in your body any multiplies. This stage is also called the complication stage as from here all the major complications Start.

Tertiary stage

This stage is called the late stage. People who don’t get treated for syphilis at a later stage are late now for the treatment as it can be treated but the damages have happened to your body at a higher level and those damages can be life-threatening. It can damage your brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints.

How to prevent syphilis

Here is some advice that is effective in preventing it.

Have safe sex or no sex: when you are having sex make sure that your partner doesn’t have syphilis or avoid having sex.
Using protection: While having condoms creates a layer and prevents direct touch. so it reduces the chances of getting infected.
Having one or No sex partners: So having fewer sex partners can prevent you from getting an infection.
Don’t use drug injections: As bacteria can enter your body through injections that are already used by the patient so avoid having drugs

How to diagnose and treat syphilis?

A physical examination will be required by your physician. They could offer you tests like:

Blood testing: A simple test at your doctor’s office or a public health facility can detect this disease. This is the most common approach to diagnose it.
Cerebrospinal fluid testing: If your doctor suspects you have neurosyphilis, they will examine the fluid surrounding your spinal cord.
Darkfield microscopy: Fluid from a skin sore or lymph node contains syphilis germs, which may be seen under a microscope.

How is syphilis treated?

Your doctor will prescribe medications to cure syphilis. Antibiotics are medications that treat bacterial illnesses. Penicillin is the most often used treatment for it. The amount of medicine required and the duration of treatment are determined by your syphilis stage and symptoms.

Regardless of whether the sore or rash is gone, you must finish all of your medicines. It is critical to contact anybody you have had sex with within the previous two years and inform them that they should be tested.

Your healthcare practitioner will test your blood following syphilis therapy to ensure that the infection has been eliminated. You can develop it again after treatment, therefore practice safe sex and get tested on a regular basis if you are at risk of contracting the disease.

Conclusion

Syphilis is a bacterial disease which is transmitted through sexual activities and skin cuts or getting a drug injection. And this can cause a huge issue and it’s a very risky hazard for human health. You need to see a doctor immediately before it can ruin your health and organs. It can be treated with antibiotics you should consult a doctor for the same as it can destroy your organs, nerve system, and heart, make you deaf, and increase the risk of getting HIV.this not only affects adults who are sexually active but it can also enter the body of a baby at the time of pregnancy and create many health issues for babies.

To avoid it, one should always have safe and protected sex, & build a strong relationship with one person as it reduces the chances of getting it from different partners. That’s why you should build a relationship with a person who is healthy as syphilis is a hidden bacteria it can ruin your whole body and you can’t even get an idea about it. So it’s better to set boundaries and precautions to ensure a safe and healthy life.

Some Additional Doubt

Question: What is syphilis?
Answer: It is a sexually transmitted disease which transmits to a person when they have oral, vaginal, or anal sex. It is a dangerous disease as it can ruin your whole body.

Question: What is congenital syphilis?
Answer: When it enters the body of a baby while a mother is pregnant and then creates health hazards for the baby as well this spread of this disease is known as congenital syphilis.

Question: How can I prevent syphilis?
Answer: You can prevent yourself from it by avoiding sex with the person who has this disease and by using condoms at the time of having sex, other prevention are mentioned above in the article.

Question: When to confront your partner that you have syphilis?
Answer: You need to confront your partner immediately when you get to know that you have syphilis so that your partner as well get a checkup and if they also get infected they can get treatment time. And you need to inform all your sex partners with whom you had sex in the last two years. So that they can also get a checkup.

Question: How to avoid transmission of syphilis to babies while breastfeeding?
Answer: When you feed a baby make sure you don’t have a sore on your breast and if you have a sore on your breast then avoid direct contact with the baby’s mouth or milk it. If it touches your sore then don’t feed that milk to a baby.

Reference Links:
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/syphilis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK534780/
https://www.cdc.gov/syphilis/about/index.html
https://medlineplus.gov/syphilis.html
https://www.pennmedicine.org/for-patients-and-visitors/patient-information/conditions-treated-a-to-z/syphilis
https://www.womenshealth.gov/a-z-topics/syphilis