Syphilis Symptoms - Detect Before it is Too Late
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) that in its late phases may cause blindness, mental disorders, and even death, and is caused by corkscrew-shaped bacteria known as Treponema pallidum. The infection is acquired by direct contact with the sores of someone who has an active infection. Although the bacterium is usually transmitted through the mucous membranes of the genital area, the mouth, or the anus, it also can pass through broken skin on other parts of the body. Because the early symptoms of syphilis can be very mild, many people do not seek treatment at first when they have gotten contact with the disease. Unfortunately, untreated syphilis infection can proceed to infect others during the first two stages of the disease, which can last for up to 2 years. The first symptom of primary syphilis is a painless sore that is called as chancre (pronounced as "shanker"). The chancre can appear within 10 days to 3 months (usually 2 to 6 weeks) after exposure. Because the chancre is ordinarily painless and sometimes occurs inside the body, it may go unnoticed. It is usually found on the part of the body exposed to the bacteria, such as the penis, the vulva, or the vagina. A chancre also can develop on the cervix, tongue, lips, or fingertips. The chancre disappears within a few weeks, but the disease continues. If not treated during the primary stage, the disease may progress through three other stages. Secondary syphilis is marked by a skin rash that appears anywhere from 2 to 10 weeks after the sore vanishes. The rash may, in fact, cover the entire body or appear only in a few areas, such as the palms of the hands or soles of the feet. Because active bacteria are present in these sores, any physical contact - sexual or nonsexual - with the broken skin of an infected person may spread the infection at this stage. The rash may be accompanied with flu-like symptoms such as fatigue, mild fever, sore throat, headache, as well as swollen lymph glands that is found all over the body, patchy hair loss, as well as other problems. The rash will usually heal after several weeks or a few months along with the rest of the other symptoms.
