Syphilis

toc = Syphilis = 1375813101

Definition:
A bacterial STD that can lead to serious mental disorder and death if not treated in the early stages. HGD chapter 13 p: 343

Primary Stage
The appearance of a single sore marks the first (primary) stage of syphilis symptoms, but there may be multiple sores. The sore appears at the location where syphilis entered the body. The sore is usually firm, round, and painless. Because the sore is painless, it can easily go unnoticed. The sore lasts 3 to 6 weeks and heals regardless of whether or not a person is treated. However, if the infected person does not receive adequate treatment the infection progresses to the secondary stage.

Secondary Stage
Skin rashes and/or sores in the mouth, vagina, or anus (also called mucous membrane lesions ) mark the secondary stage of symptoms. This stage usually starts with a rash on one or more areas of the body. Rashes associated with secondary syphilis can appear from the time when the primary sore is healing to several weeks after the sore has healed. The rash usually does not cause itching. This rash may appear as rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the palms of the hands and/or the bottoms of the feet. However, this rash may look different on other parts of the body and can look like rashes caused by other diseases. Large, raised, gray or white lesions may develop in warm, moist areas such as the mouth, underarm or groin region. Sometimes rashes associated with secondary syphilis are so faint that they are not noticed. Other symptoms of secondary syphilis include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue. The symptoms of secondary syphilis will go away with or without treatment. Without appropriate treatment, the infection will progress to the latent and possibly late stages of disease.

Latent (hidden) stage If untreated, an infected person will progress to the latent (hidden) stage of syphilis. The latent stage is defined as the year after a person becomes infected. After the secondary-stage rash goes away, the person will not have any symptoms for a time (latent period). The latent period may be as brief as 1 year or range from 5 to 20 years. Often during this stage, an accurate diagnosis can only be made through [|blood] testing, the person's history, or the birth of a child with [|congenital syphilis]. A person is contagious during the early part of the latent stage and may be contagious during the latent period when no symptoms are present.

Relapses
About 20 to 30 out of 100 people with syphilis have a relapse of the infection during its latent stage.[|2] A relapse means the person was symptom-free but then started having symptoms again. Relapses can occur several times. When relapses no longer occur, a person is not contagious through contact. But a woman in the latent stage of syphilis may still pass the infection to her [|developing baby] and may have a [|miscarriage] or a stillbirth or give birth to a baby infected with congenital syphilis.

Tertiary (late) stage
This is the most destructive stage of syphilis. If untreated, the tertiary stage may begin as early as 1 year after infection or at any time during a person's lifetime. A person with syphilis may never experience this stage of the illness. During this stage, syphilis may cause serious blood vessel and [|heart] problems, mental disorders, blindness, nerve system problems, and even death. The symptoms of tertiary (late) syphilis depend on the complications that develop. Complications of this stage include:
 * [|Gummata], which are large sores inside the body or on the skin.
 * [|Cardiovascular syphilis], which affects the heart and blood vessels.
 * [|Neurosyphilis], which affects the nervous system.

Congenital syphilis
[|Congenital syphilis] refers to syphilis passed from a mother to her baby during [|pregnancy] or during [|labor and delivery]. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the [|U.S. Preventive Services Task Force] strongly recommend that all pregnant women be screened for syphilis because of the severe consequences of being pregnant while infected or having a child born with congenital syphilis. Screening should be done:[|3], [|4] Congenital syphilis increases the risk of fetal death and medical complications in newborns. Syphilis enters the fetal blood system through the [|placenta], causing infection in the [|newborn] or death of the fetus. Symptoms of congenital syphilis include: Because there are [|other conditions with similar symptoms], an accurate diagnosis is important for treatment.
 * At the first prenatal visit for all pregnant women.
 * At the beginning of the [|third trimester] of pregnancy and again at delivery for women who are at high risk for syphilis.
 * A highly contagious watery discharge from the nose.
 * Painful inflammation of the bone coverings.
 * Contagious rash that frequently appears over the palms of the hands and soles of the feet.
 * Reduced red blood cells in the blood ([|anemia]).
 * Enlarged [|liver] and [|spleen].
 * Swelling of the lymph nodes.
 * Failure to grow and develop normally (failure to thrive).

= Examples: = Newborn with congenital syphilis. Congenital syphilis is a severe, disabling, and often life-threatening infection seen in infants. A pregnant mother who has syphilis can spread the disease through the placenta to the unborn infant. The photo show tertiary syphilis.

This secondary syphilis

= Analogies: = Syphilis the great pox.

= Mnemonics: =

=In the News:= []

"Over the past ten years the rates of a sexually transmitted disease, thought to be a thing of the past, have been on the rise. I am talking about syphilis. Syphilis is caused by an organism called treponema pallidum and is spread through sexual contact. One of the biggest problems is that syphilis is not particularly easy to diagnose..."

[]

"Houston's health department reported a near doubling in the number of new infectious syphilis cases during the first eight months of 2012 compared to the same period last year. The increase reverses a trend of syphilis cases decreasing between 2008 and 2011."

=Free in-home kits help encourage STD testing in young people= "The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we had to reach these kids," said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor of infectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. "They were always on the Internet, and now, on their smart phones. They weren't going to ask their mothers to take them to a clinic." Gaydos helped develop the program called "I Want the Kit,... http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2011-02-21/specialsection/bs-hs-std-testing-20110221_1_std-testing-gonorrhea-and-chlamydia-chlamydia-cases

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