How not to get syphilis and what to do if you get infected

First, Syphilis is highly contagious. Despite the fact that it is most often transmitted through unprotected sex, including anal and oral sex, in some cases the infection can be picked up without intimacy - with long kisses or too close hugs. Another route of transmission is from an infected mother to a fetus or newborn baby.

Secondly, syphilis is subtle. At least in the early stages. A person infected with it may sincerely not guess that he is a carrier of a dangerous infection, and reward his sex partners with it.

What is syphilis and how dangerous it is

Syphilis is a bacterial infection caused by a microbe called Treponema pallidum. Treponema attacks the body gradually. It starts with the skin and mucous membranes, and then spreads to all vital organs and systems. Syphilis of the lungs, stomach, or nervous system may develop.

A hundred or two years ago, syphilis was one of the main threats to public health, claiming and crippling millions of lives. Thanks to the development of medicine, the infection was pacified. But she still shows herself.

In the United States alone, more than 100 thousand new cases of the disease are recorded annually.

If left untreated, sooner or later it will lead to serious complications. What Problems Can Syphilis Cause? … Here are just a few of them:

ulcers, erosion, hard growths on the skin;
decreased immunity;
deformation of bones and joints, including disfiguring appearance;
visual impairment up to blindness;
diseases of the heart and blood vessels - before heart attacks, strokes, aortic aneurysms;
neurological damage up to the development of mental disorders and dementia;
damage to internal organs;
paralysis.

The situation is even worse when it comes to a pregnant woman infected with syphilis. Her unborn child has a high risk of dying before or shortly after giving birth.

All these horrors can be avoided. Syphilis today is a curable disease with quick diagnosis. The main thing is to start therapy on time, without leading to irreversible damage to the body.

How to recognize syphilis

Even in spite of its inconspicuousness, it is still possible to detect syphilis, including in the early stages - it is enough to show a little attentiveness and not relax when the disease suddenly "passes".

The first symptom of the disease is a small nodule, papule, sore or other wound that appears on the genitals, in the anal canal or in the mouth. The wound is easy to ignore: it can be seen or felt, but it does not hurt or cause discomfort. Moreover, within a few weeks it heals without a trace.

If such a wound appears 10–90 days after unprotected sex, it must be shown to a doctor. Even if it seems absolutely harmless to you.

A healed ulcer or a disappeared papule does not at all mean that the disease has dissolved. The bacteria remain in the body and continue to multiply. The latent (imperceptible) phase can last for years before manifesting itself as dangerous complications. However, sometimes alarming symptoms still occur additionally.

So, the secondary stage of the disease, which begins in the period from six weeks to six months after infection, can be recognized by the following signs:

A fairly large pink rash. It usually occurs on the palms and soles.
Slight itching and rashes (including very minor ones) on other parts of the body.
White spots on the oral mucosa.
Wet pimples in the groin folds.
Swollen lymph nodes.
Fever.
Weight loss.

These symptoms can be blurred to the point that they are easy to dismiss. In addition, like the signs of an early stage of syphilis, they disappear by themselves within a maximum of three months.

Further, the disease enters the latent phase again. To one day manifest as a tertiary phase and inflict a blow (possibly fatal) on health.

What to do with syphilis or suspected syphilis

If you have even the slightest concern, be sure to contact a therapist or dermatovenerologist. The doctor will give you a referral for the necessary research that will help confirm or exclude the disease. As a rule, we are talking about a blood test and scraping from the skin or mucous membranes, if lesions appear on them.

You can do an analysis for syphilis yourself in any medical laboratory. But there is an important nuance: it will be possible to fix pale treponema only some time after infection. Running to get checked immediately after a suspicious intercourse is pointless. And it is better, choosing the time and type of analysis, to trust the doctor.

How to treat syphilis

The disease is treated simply with antibiotics. Typically penicillin based, but options are possible.

It is important to carry out therapy only as directed by a dermatovenerologist. For two reasons. First, self-medication does not guarantee recovery. It may turn out that you just drove the infection deeper and it will continue to develop. Secondly, each stage of syphilis requires its own therapy regimen. Those methods and drugs that will be effective at the initial stage will be helpless at the secondary and even more tertiary.

Please note: antibiotics can expel treponema pale from the body. But they will not repair the damage that the infection has already done.

Therefore, it is in your best interest to do everything so as not to contract syphilis.

How not to get syphilis

Unfortunately, this is a difficult task. According to Syphilis - CDC Fact Sheet of the American Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the only more or less effective way to avoid infection is to not engage in vaginal, anal or oral sex at all. But even so, there is still a risk of catching an infection when kissing or hugging.

Here's what doctors say will help reduce the risks.

Choose a mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested for syphilis.
Use barrier contraception if you are not 100% sure that your partner is healthy. Do not forget about condoms, including with oral contact.
Refrain from casual sex.
Do not share or trade sex toys with other people.
Avoid alcohol and drug use. They can potentially lead to dangerous sex experiments with strangers.

Be sure to talk to your doctor or get tested for STIs and syphilis yourself, including if:

you have had unprotected sex with a new partner;
intimacy happened with a new sexual partner in which you are not sure;
you have multiple sex partners;
you or your partner have rashes, sores, discomfort in the genital area or mucous membranes.

And finally, one more important point. There is no immunity against syphilis. After recovering from this disease, you can catch it again. Be prudent and careful.