Syphilis as Genital Disease

Syphilis is a genital disease that caused by a spiral shaped bacterium (a spirochete) known as Treponema pallidum, is an other extremely dangerous disease. It can go on for years, moving through a number of stages. Fortunately, it can be cured antibiotics in the first two stages or even in the latent phase.

Primary Syphilis
The disease begins when one of the spirochetes enter a tiny break in the skin, usually in the warm, moist or mouth. But there is usually no sign of the disease for ten to twenty eight days. Then, you may discovered a moist, painless open lump or swelling, about the size of a dime or smaller, somewhere in the visible portions of the genitals, anus, or mouth. This is known as chancre.

But this chancre can also develop out of sight, deep in the recesses of the vagina, the rectum, or the male urethra. So don't wail until you see a chancre. If you even faintly suspect that you may have been exposed to syphilis, see a physician at once. And be careful not to let anyone else come into contact with the chancre. It is dangerously infective.

Secondary Syphilis
Even without treatment, the chancre will disappear within several weeks. Unfortunately, this may give the infected person a false sense or security. Meanwhile, however, the infection has entered the blood, and the spirochetes are being carried to all parts of the body. The secondary stage has begun.

What to look for in Secondary Syphilis?
Secondary stage symptoms appear from a few weeks to as long as a year after the appearance of the chancre.

• What are the symptoms and sign of secondary syphilis? They include a skin rash, small flat sores in regions where the skin is moist, whitish patches on the mucous membranes in the mouth and throat, and spotty temporary baldness. There are also symptoms such as general discomfort and uneasiness, low grade fever, headache, and swollen glands.
• Since these symptoms are easily mistaken for those of other diseases, it is important to consult a physician if any of them appear, particularly if you have been exposed to syphilis. Secondary syphilis, which lasts from three to six months, can always be diagnosed by blood tests.
• During the secondary stage, the disease is more contagious than at any other phase of its development. All the sores are filed with spirochetes, and any contact with them, even without sexual intercourse can transmit the disease.