Syphilis Symptoms
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium. Because the signs of Syphilis are so common with many other diseases, it is often misdiagnosed and has been called “The Great Imitator”.
As with many STDs, many infected individuals show no signs or symptoms at all. Added to the fact that, left untreated, Syphilis can cause serious health issues including death, it is critical that sexually active individuals get regular STD testing.
For those people who do exhibit symptoms, these occur in three different stages:
Primary Stage
The appearance of one or many small, round, hard, and sometimes painless sores called Chancres are indicative of the primary stage of Syphilis. These occur anywhere from ten to ninety days after infection, and usually go away within four to six weeks. However, if left untreated, the infection will progress to the secondary stage.
Secondary Stage
This stage can start while the chancre is healing, or a few weeks after. The main symptom exhibited during this stage is a rash, usually found on the hands or feet (but can appear anywhere). In addition to the apperance of a rash, symptoms that might be shown during the secondary stage are:
- soar throat
- fever
- swollen lymph glands
- sporadic or patchy hair loss
- muscle aches
- weight loss
- headaches
- fatigue
Late and Latent Stages
After the symptoms of the primary and secondary stages have disappeared, the disease will go intent it’s latent stage where no symptoms exist. This stage can last for several years, even though the infection is still in the body. If the disease moves into the late stage, it can become a life threatening situation that affects several of the internal organs such as the:
- brain
- eyes
- nerves
- heart
- blood vessels
- liver
- bones
- joints
Some of the signs during this stage could be:
- loss of muscle coordination
- numbness
- paralysis
- blindness
- dementia
Because of it’s severity and recent rise in occurrences, it is important that all sexually active individuals get tested regularly.