What is syphilis
Syphilis is the best-known sexually transmitted infection, which has triggered epidemics in past centuries, claiming numerous victims
It is caused by Treponema pallidum, which enters the body through a genital ulceration, which is the first symptom of the disease.
However, the lesion is often too small to be discovered and other symptoms may appear very late, giving the bacterium time to spread through the body and to transmit itself to other sexual partners.
Four stages of syphilis can be distinguished:
- primary (in which ulcerations develop)
- secondary (in which ulcerations spread to other areas of the body)
- latent
- tertiary.
Infection can only occur in the first two stages, which usually take about 2 years, through contact with the genital ulceration.
In the last two stages, the disease is no longer contagious, but it is dangerous for the patient who has contracted it, as it can cause blindness, mental disorders, cardiac changes, neurological problems and even death.
In more than half of the cases, untreated syphilis in the first stage tends to become chronic
The diagnosis of syphilis can be made with a blood test for the bacterium that causes it or with a cytological examination of the genital ulceration.
The tests must be repeated often as there are many false positives and false negatives.
If active during pregnancy, syphilis can be transmitted to the foetus and thus cause miscarriage or neonatal death; children born with congenital syphilis, on the other hand, show signs of the tertiary stage already during childhood.
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