Syphilis: Symptoms, Causes, Risks & Treatment

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is usually transmitted through sexual contact. Syphilis can also be passed on from an expecting mother to her unborn baby. When diagnosed early, syphilis can be cured but without treatment, it can severely damage body organs like the heart and brain.

In this article, we will understand syphilis meaning, its symptoms, causes and treatment.

What is Syphilis?

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by a bacteria that spreads by vaginal, anal or oral sex with an infected person. The infection starts from a painless sore usually on the genitals, rectum or mouth. But after the initial infection, the bacteria can remain dormant in the body for decades before becoming active again.

Symptoms of syphilis

Syphilis progresses in stages because of which the symptoms can vary with each stage. Sometimes a person may not notice any symptoms despite being infected with syphilis. Let us understand the various stages and symptoms of syphilis.

• Primary syphilis

The earliest sign of syphilis is the appearance of a small, painless sore called a chancre on the spot where the bacteria entered your body. Most infected people only develop one chancre; however, some may develop several. The chancre develops within 3 weeks of exposure and heals on its own within 3-6 weeks.

• Secondary syphilis

A few weeks after the original chancre heals, the infected person may develop a rash beginning from their trunk and eventually, covering the entire body. The rash can even cover the palms of hands and soles of feet. The rash is generally not itchy but may be accompanied by wartlike sores in the mouth or on the genital area.

Some people may also experience muscle aches, fever, sore throat, swollen lymph nodes and hair loss. These symptoms can disappear within a few weeks or come and go throughout the year.

• Latent syphilis

If a person doesn’t receive syphilis treatment, the infection enters a hidden (latent) stage with no symptoms. This stage can last for years and the symptoms may never return or progress to the tertiary stage.

• Tertiary syphilis

Around 15-30 per cent of people who don’t receive syphilis treatment develop complications known as tertiary syphilis. In this stage, syphilis can damage the bones, joints, liver, blood vessels, heart, eyes, nerves and brain. These complications can occur several years after the original untreated infection.

• Neurosyphilis

At any stage, syphilis can spread through the body and cause damage to the brain, nervous system and eyes, among other body organs.

• Congenital syphilis

Babies born to women infected with syphilis can also get syphilis through the placenta or during birth. Most babies with congenital syphilis experience no symptoms but some may develop a rash on their palms and soles. Later symptoms may include teeth deformities, saddle nose and deafness.

Babies born with congenital syphilis can also be born prematurely, may not survive in the womb or pass soon after birth.

Causes of syphilis

Syphilis is caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum. The most common way for syphilis to spread is through sexual contact with an infected person’s sore. The bacteria can enter the body through the skin or mucous membranes. In its primary and secondary stages, syphilis is contagious and sometimes even in the latent stage.

Sometimes syphilis can also spread through direct contact with an active lesion such as while kissing. Expecting mothers infected with syphilis can also pass it on their unborn babies. Once cured, syphilis doesn’t usually return, however, it’s possible to be reinfected with syphilis upon contact with a syphilis sore.

Risks of syphilis

Some factors can increase a person’s risk of developing syphilis such as:

• Engaging in unprotected sex

• Having sex with multiple partners

• Male partners having sex with each other

• Having HIV infection (AIDS)

How to diagnose syphilis?

Syphilis diagnosis can be done by testing samples of:

• Blood

A blood test can confirm the presence of infection-fighting antibodies in the body. The antibodies that fight syphilis remain in the body for years so the test can determine both current and past infection.

• Cerebrospinal fluid

In case a doctor suspects a person to have nervous system complications of syphilis, they may collect a sample of cerebrospinal fluid using a lumbar puncture.

In case you are diagnosed with syphilis, it’s recommended that you notify your sexual partners so that they can also be tested and treated. This helps to limit the spread of syphilis.

Treatment for Syphilis

Syphilis is easy to cure when it is diagnosed and treated in its initial stages. The preferred syphilis treatment at all stages is penicillin. If a person is in primary, secondary or early-stage latent syphilis, they can be treated with a single injection of penicillin. If a person has had syphilis for more than a year, they may need additional doses.

Penicillin is a safe syphilis treatment even for pregnant women. Even if a pregnant woman has received syphilis treatment during pregnancy, her newborn child should be tested for congenital syphilis. In case, the baby is infected with syphilis, they must receive the antibiotic treatment.

The first day after a person receives syphilis treatment, they may experience a Jarisch-Herxheimer reaction, which causes symptoms like fever, chills, pain, headache and nausea. This reaction, however, doesn’t last for more than a day or two.

Getting ready for the appointment

It can be uncomfortable to discuss one’s sexual history but it’s essential to provide this information to the doctor so that the right treatment can follow. In order to prepare for the appointment, you can do the following:

• List down any symptoms you have been experiencing

• Ask the doctor if you need to do something in advance

• Write down all the medications or supplements you are consuming

• Note down all the questions you want to ask the doctor

If you think you have been infected with syphilis, it’s best to refrain from any sexual activity and get tested as soon as possible. Upon a positive diagnosis, you must notify your recent sexual partners and seek syphilis treatment at the earliest.