A Little Info About Syphilis
Siphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema Pallidum. This bacterium is usually transmitted through vaginal, anal, or oral sex. Siphilis is passed from person to person through direct contact with the open sore (chancre) that appears in the primary stage, the Mucous Membrane or other sores during the second stage and sometime during the latent stage. These stages will be discussed more thoroughly in the symptoms page. Very seldom can a person contract Siphilis through an open wound or very rarely through a blood transfusion. Siphilis can also be passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn child.
Whatever you may have been told Siphilis can NOT be passed by contact with toilet seats, swimming pools, bathtubs, shared clothing, or eating utensils.
Symptoms
Many people who are infected with Siphilis show no symptoms for possibly a couple years. Though Siphilis is only transmitted from a person with sores from the first or second stage of siphilils, many of these sores are unrecognizable. This means that more than likely transmission of this disease may occur from someone who is unaware of their infection. Siphilis has many symptoms that occur. Many symptoms are tied into what stage ainfected person is experiencing of this STD.
Primary Stage: In this first stage of Siphilis, a single painless sore (chancre) appears where the disease entered the body. It is normally firm, round, small and painless. Usually the sore appears between 10 to 90 days after infection and can last between 3 to 6 weeks. The chancre will heal on its own and if not adequately taken care of, will progress to the secondary stage of Siphilis.
Secondary Stage: Secondary siphilis occur between one to six months after the primary infection, most commonly about six to eight weeks. Someone with Siphilis is most contagious in the secondary stage of the disease. Here are some of the common symptoms of secondary siphilis:
* Palms of the hands or bottoms of feet are covered in a rough, red/reddish brown spotted rash that doesn’t itch. Also other rashes with a different appearance may occur on different parts of the body that sometimes resemble rashes caused by different diseases.
* Sores on the throat, cervix, or mouth
* Fever
* Headache
* Sore throat and swollen lymph glands
* Weight loss
* Patchy hair loss on the head and other parts
* fatigue
If left untreated through secondary Siphilis, then the patient will start experiencing the latent stage of Siphilis.
Latent Stage: The latent stage, also known as the ‘hidden’ stage of siphilis, starts when primary and secondary symptoms disappear. Without treatment the infected person will still have siphilis, even though they aren’t showing any more symptoms. This is due to the disease staying within the body.
Late Stage: The late stage of Siphilis occurs in about 15% of cases if not treated. Late Siphilis can occur 10 to 20 years after first acquiring the disease. In the late stages of Siphilis, a person may experience gummas (painless circular sores), damage to the brain, nerves, eyes (possible blindness), blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints. Common complications may be small bumps and tumors on organs, insanity, or paralysis. Once this stage is reached, it can last for years and could potentially end ones’ life. The only way this stage of Siphilis is reached is by not getting treatment. So please take the initiative to get yourself checked on a regular bases, otherwise something like this could happen to you.
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