What is Syphilis?

Understanding Syphilis

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It can lead to serious health problems if left untreated but is curable with the right antibiotics.

How Syphilis is Transmitted

Syphilis is primarily spread through direct contact with a syphilitic sore (chancre) during vaginal, anal, or oral sex. It can also be transmitted from mother to child during pregnancy or childbirth, leading to congenital syphilis.

Stages and Symptoms of Syphilis

Syphilis progresses through several stages, each with different symptoms:

Primary Stage

• Chancre: A single sore or multiple sores at the site where the bacteria entered the body. The sore is usually firm, round, and painless. It appears 3 weeks to 3 months after exposure and can heal without treatment, but the infection remains.

Secondary Stage

• Rashes: Skin rashes and mucous membrane lesions. The rash often appears as rough, red, or reddish-brown spots on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
• Other Symptoms: Fever, swollen lymph nodes, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue.

Latent Stage

• Hidden Symptoms: If untreated, syphilis enters a latent stage where no symptoms are visible. This stage can last for years. During the early part of this stage, the infection can still be transmitted.

Tertiary Stage

• Serious Health Issues: Without treatment, syphilis can progress to the tertiary stage, affecting the heart, brain, nerves, eyes, liver, bones, and joints. Symptoms can include severe medical problems and can be life-threatening.

Syphilis that spreads
At any stage, untreated syphilis can affect the brain, spinal cord, eyes and other body parts. This can cause serious or life-threatening health problems.

Congenital syphilis
Pregnant people who have syphilis can pass the disease to their babies. Unborn babies can become infected through the organ that provides nutrients and oxygen in the womb, called the placenta. Infection also can happen during birth.

Newborns with congenital syphilis might have no symptoms. But without fast treatment, some babies might get:

Sores and rashes on the skin.
Fever.
A type of discolored skin and eyes, called jaundice.
Not enough red blood cells, called anemia.
Swollen spleen and liver.
Sneezing or stuffed, drippy nose, called rhinitis.
Bone changes.
Later symptoms may include deafness, teeth problems and saddle nose, a condition in which the bridge of the nose collapses.

Babies with syphilis also can be born too early. They may die in the womb before birth. Or they could die after birth.

he bacteria enter the body through minor cuts or scrapes in the skin or in the moist inner lining of some body parts.

Syphilis is contagious during its primary and secondary stages. Sometimes it's also contagious in the early latent period, which happens within a year of getting infected.

Less often, syphilis can spread by kissing or touching an active sore on the lips, tongue, mouth, breasts or genitals. It also can be passed to babies during pregnancy and childbirth and sometimes through breastfeeding.

Syphilis can't be spread through casual contact with objects that an infected person has touched.

So you can't catch it by using the same toilet, bathtub, clothing, eating utensils, doorknobs, swimming pools or hot tubs.

Once cured, syphilis doesn't come back on its own. But you can become infected again if you have contact with someone's syphilis sore.

Risk factors
The risk of catching syphilis is higher if you:

Have unprotected sex.
Have sex with more than one partner.
Live with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS if untreated.
The chances of getting syphilis also are higher for men who have sex with men. The higher risk may be linked, in part, with less access to health care and less use of condoms among this group. Another risk factor for some people in this group includes recent sex with partners found through social media apps.

Complications
Without treatment, syphilis can lead to damage throughout the body. Syphilis also raises the risk of HIV infection and can cause problems during pregnancy. Treatment can help prevent damage. But it can't repair or reverse damage that's already happened.

Small bumps or tumors
Rarely in the late stage of syphilis, bumps called gummas can form on the skin, bones, liver or any other organ. Most often, gummas go away after treatment with medicine called antibiotics.

Neurological problems
Syphilis can cause many problems with the brain, its covering or the spinal cord. These issues include:

Headache.
Stroke.
Meningitis, a disease that inflames the protective layers of tissue around the brain and spinal cord.
Confusion, personality changes or trouble focusing.
Symptoms that mimic dementia, such as loss of memory, judgment and decision-making skills.
Not being able to move certain body parts, called paralysis.
Trouble getting or keeping an erection, called erectile dysfunction.
Bladder problems.
Eye problems
Disease that spreads to the eye is called ocular syphilis. It can cause:

Eye pain or redness.
Vision changes.
Blindness.
Ear problems
Disease that spreads to the ear is called otosyphilis. Symptoms can include:

Hearing loss.
Ringing in the ears, called tinnitus.
Feeling like you or the world around you is spinning, called vertigo.
Heart and blood vessel problems
These may include bulging and swelling of the aorta — the body's major artery — and other blood vessels. Syphilis also may damage heart valves.

HIV infection
Syphilis sores on the genitals raise the risk of catching or spreading HIV through sex. A syphilis sore can bleed easily. This provides an easy way for HIV to enter the bloodstream during sex.

Pregnancy and childbirth complications
If you're pregnant, you could pass syphilis to your unborn baby. Congenital syphilis greatly raises the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth or your newborn's death within a few days after birth.

Prevention
There is no vaccine for syphilis. To help prevent the spread of syphilis, follow these tips:

Have safe sex or no sex. The only certain way to avoid contact with syphilis bacteria is not to have sex. This is called abstinence. If a person is sexually active, safer sex means a long-term relationship in which you and your partner have sex only with each other, and neither of you is infected. Before you have sex with someone new, you should both get tested for syphilis and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).
Use a latex condom. Condoms can lower your risk of getting or spreading syphilis. But condoms work only if they cover an infected person's syphilis sores. Other types of birth control do not lower your risk of syphilis.
Be careful with alcohol and stay away from street drugs. Drinking too much alcohol or taking drugs can get in the way of your judgment. Either can lead to unsafe sex.
Do not douche. It can remove some of the healthy bacteria that's usually in the vagina. And that might raise your risk of getting STIs.
Breastfeed with caution. Syphilis can pass from a parent to a baby during breastfeeding if sores are on one or both breasts. This can happen when the baby or pumping equipment touches a sore. To keep that from happening, pump or hand-express breastmilk from the breast with sores. Do so until the sores heal. If your pump touches a sore, get rid of the milk you just pumped.
A medicine called doxycycline may be an option to prevent infection among people who have a higher risk than average of getting syphilis. Higher risk groups include men who have sex with men and transgender women.

Taking doxycycline within 3 days of sexual activity lowers the risk of an infection with the bacteria that cause syphilis. Your healthcare professional can prescribe doxycycline and any testing you need while taking the medicine.

After you learn you have syphilis, your local health department may contact you. A department employee talks with you about private ways to let your partners know that they've been exposed to syphilis. You can ask the department to do this for you without revealing your identity to your partners.

Or you can contact your partners along with a department employee or simply tell your partners yourself. This free service is called partner notification. It can help limit the spread of syphilis. The practice also steers those at risk toward counseling and the right treatment.

And since you can get syphilis more than once, partner notification lowers your risk of getting infected again.

Screening tests for pregnant people
You can be infected with syphilis and not know it. And the disease can have deadly effects on unborn babies. For this reason, health officials recommend that all pregnant people be tested for the disease.

If you have an ulcer that might be caused by syphilis, a swab is necessary for detection. A blood test will also be required. Even after diagnosis and treatment, retesting is recommended to ensure full recovery.

What is the treatment for syphilis?

It is crucial to receive treatment promptly with antibiotics. Syphilis can lead to serious health problems and complications if left untreated.

Syphilis and Pregnancy:

In Malta, every pregnant person is tested for syphilis. If you are pregnant and sexually active, you can still acquire syphilis. If untreated during pregnancy, you can pass the infection to your baby. Treatment is safe during pregnancy.

Untreated syphilis during pregnancy can lead to serious issues such as miscarriage, stillbirth, or congenital syphilis in the baby.

Congenital Syphilis

Syphilis can be passed from an infected mother to her baby during pregnancy. Congenital syphilis can cause deformities, delays in development, seizures, or even stillbirth.

The Importance of Testing

Regular testing is crucial, especially for pregnant women and individuals at higher risk of infection. Early detection through blood tests can prevent the progression of the disease and transmission to others.

Order Your Syphilis Test Kit from Nexus Laboratories

At Nexus Laboratories, we understand the importance of accessible and confidential testing. Our syphilis test kit is designed for your convenience, allowing you to take control of your health from the comfort of your home.

Why Choose Our Syphilis Test Kit?

• Accurate Results: Reliable testing for early detection.
• Convenient: Test in the privacy of your own home.
• Easy to Use: Simple instructions and quick results.

How to Order

1. Visit Our Website: Go to Here.
2. Place Your Order: Choose the syphilis test kit and complete your purchase.
3. Follow Instructions: Use the kit as directed and get your results quickly.

Conclusion

Syphilis is a serious but treatable infection. Regular testing, early detection, and prompt treatment are key to managing and preventing its complications. Order your syphilis test kit today from Nexus Laboratories and take the first step towards better health.