Syphilis

How It Spreads

An infected person who has a sore or a rash can pass syphilis to others. It's usually spread during vaginal, anal, and oral sex. But it can be spread by any close contact with the genitals, mouth, or rectum of an infected person. If you're infected while you're pregnant, you can pass syphilis to your baby.

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Symptoms

Syphilis develops in four stages. Each stage has a different set of symptoms.

One of the first signs of syphilis is a painless open sore called a chancre. Chancres are often found in the mouth, the anus, or the genital area. As syphilis spreads throughout the body, a person may get a skin rash and have other symptoms like a fever, swollen lymph nodes, and weight loss.

You may not notice symptoms of syphilis. Sometimes they're the same as symptoms for other infections. This can cause someone with the infection to put off seeing a doctor. But even if you don't have symptoms, getting tested can confirm if you have syphilis.

If syphilis isn't found and treated in the early stages, it can cause other serious health problems. These can include blindness, problems with the nervous system and the heart, and mental disorders. It can also cause death.

What Happens

The main symptom of the first stage of syphilis is usually an open sore. A rash and other symptoms often occur during the second stage. That's usually followed by a time without symptoms. Syphilis can move to the late stage, causing problems. Antibiotics can't undo damage, but they can cure syphilis at any stage.

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When to Call a Doctor

Call to make an appointment if you:

• Have sores, bumps, rashes, blisters, or warts on or around the genital or anal area or on any area of the body where you think they could be caused by a sexually transmitted infection (STI).
• Think you have been exposed to a STI.

Do not have sexual intercourse or other sexual contact until you have been treated by a doctor. If you are diagnosed with syphilis, your sex partner or partners will need to be treated also.

In most areas, public health clinics or health departments are able to diagnose and provide low-cost assessment and treatment of early syphilis and other STIs.

Watchful waiting

Watchful waiting is a wait-and-see approach. It's not a good choice if you think you were exposed to or have syphilis or another STI. Any symptoms or other changes that suggest syphilis or another STI should be checked by a doctor.

Check your symptoms

Exams and Tests

Your doctor will do a physical exam. You'll be asked about your symptoms and your sexual history.

Syphilis is most often diagnosed with blood tests. A lumbar puncture (spinal tap) may be done if your symptoms suggest the syphilis infection has moved to the brain, spinal cord, or eyes. If you do have sores, your doctor may take a sample of fluid from a sore for testing.

More testing should be done to look for other sexually transmitted infections, such as:

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Treatment Overview

Syphilis can be cured with antibiotics. Penicillin is the preferred medicine. You will need to be treated, and so will any sex partners that may have been exposed to the infection.

At any stage of the infection, antibiotics work well to cure syphilis. They can't undo the damage already caused by syphilis. But they can help you avoid further problems from the infection.

You cannot treat syphilis on your own. It must be treated with medicine that only a doctor can give you. Treatment helps you avoid other serious health problems. And it keeps you from spreading syphilis to others.

Being treated during pregnancy can help you avoid miscarriage or stillbirth. It can also help keep your baby from being born with syphilis.

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Self-Care

• Get all the recommended shots. Your doctor probably gave you an antibiotic shot. If you've had syphilis for a while, you may need 2 more shots.
• If your doctor prescribed antibiotic pills, take them as directed. Do not stop taking them just because you feel better. You need to take the full course of antibiotics.
• Don't have sexual contact with anyone while you're being treated. Wait at least 7 days after you and your partner or partners are treated and until all sores are healed before you have sexual contact. Even if you use a condom, you and your partner or partners can still spread the infection.
• Wash your hands if you touch an infected area. This helps prevent spreading the infection to other parts of your body or to other people.
• Tell your sex partner or partners that you have syphilis. They'll need treatment even if they don't have symptoms.
• Go to all follow-up tests. This helps your doctor check that treatment worked. Your doctor will tell you when to have testing done.

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