Syphilis is an infection that a person usually gets from sexual contact with someone who has the infection. It is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. It is a devious disease that can often look so much like some other health condition and is, therefore, usually hard to diagnose based on symptoms. Indeed, syphilis may sometimes show up as sores or harmless-looking rashes or at times might even not appear to be a symptom at all.
08 October 2024
4 min read
1961
Syphilis is a type of sexually transmitted disease that generally faces the population of the United States. In 2017, there were 9.5 cases per 100,000 of the population, and it was estimated that there were 129,813 new cases in 2019. A person can acquire syphilis by coming into direct contact with a syphilitic sore, which is a single chancre that occurs during sexual relations via the vagina, anus, or mouth.
Moreover, the disease can be passed on to the fetus from the infected mother during pregnancy, more commonly referred to as "congenital syphilis." It is quite critical to the unborn baby as this condition may result in spontaneous abortion, late-term death, low birth weight, high cholesterol levels, jaundice, pneumonia, and developmental problems.
Unmasking the Symptoms of Syphilis
These symptoms are as varied as they are misleading and can easily be confused with herpes, HIV, lichen planus, psoriasis, and rosacea. In order to better understand syphilis, we should recognize its stages and which route the symptoms take during each particular stage.
Symptoms of Syphilis by Stage
Primary Stage
During the primary stage, you'll usually find a small, circular, firm chancre that's deeply inserted in the skin. Generally, only one sore is present, but at times, multiple sores may develop. These sores will normally heal by themselves in 3 to 6 weeks without treatment. However, the infection of syphilis stays in your body if not treated with antibiotics.
Secondary Stage
During the secondary stage, syphilis may cause a skin rash, which is often identified with rashes of other diseases. This can be accompanied with small bumps on the palms, soles, chest, arms, or back. Large gray or white lesions called condyloma lata may appear on the warm and moist areas of the body. Other forms of lesions may appear on the hands and feet, known as secondary syphilis. The lesions may range from the macular to annular type and often appear dark.
Latent Stage
This is usually characterized by no symptoms; however, the individual is still contagious. It can last between a year to 5–20 years.
Tertiary Stage
The tertiary stage is the last and most destructive stage of the disease. It could occur 10 to 30 years from the beginning of the infection and includes serious damage to the brain, the organs of the body, nervous system, and other parts. Symptoms are largely internal, though there might be external signs like falling hair.
Treating Syphilis: It's Curable!
Contrary to the common misconception, it is curable. After testing positive with the infection, health professionals can give some treatment to cure the syphilis infection using antibiotics.
So, finally, knowing syphilis is half the way to being prepared. You can seek treatment before the stages and the symptoms develop any further into the disease. Regular check-ups with a sexual health clinic and an at-home syphilis test will let you know the answers more clearly. There are two means for avoiding this sexually transmitted infection: education and awareness.
Easy Testing of Syphilis from Home
Gone are the days when testing for syphilis required a clinic visit or sending samples to a laboratory. With increasing development in medical technologies, testing for syphilis has become more accessible than ever. Currently, rapid at-home test kits for syphilis are available that can give accurate results within 10 minutes—a revolution in sexual health awareness and testing.
These test kits work pretty much on the same principle as a pregnancy test: convenient and private. You prick your finger to draw a little blood, place it onto a testing device, and voilà—instant results from the comfort of your own home. This saves you from going through clinics, waiting for appointments, and generally having those long anxious waits for laboratory results.
These tests are fairly accurate, yet it has to be remembered that they are only tools for screening purposes. It is very important that you immediately contact a healthcare professional for confirmation if the test result shows up positive and discuss the next steps of treatment relevant in such cases. In case of infection, confirmed cases thus come under immediate treatment; the importance of these small and easy-to-use test kits is once more underlined in their ability to help keep syphilis infections in check.
These quick home-testing kits for syphilis are a huge leap toward normalizing regular STI testing, early detection, and timely treatment. They are making it easier for individuals to take responsibility for their sexual health in the comfort and privacy of their own homes.
For Men & Women
Results in Minutes
No Lab Needed
Private & Discreet
