The first sign of syphilis is a small sore, called a chancre (SHANG-kur). The sore appears at the spot where the bacteria entered your body. While most people infected with syphilis develop only one chancre, some people develop several of them.
Stage 3, Latent syphilis
Without treatment you will still have syphilis for 20 years or more even though you will not have any signs or symptoms. People with latent syphilis may sometimes have symptoms (flare-ups) like skin rash, fever, a sore throat, swollen glands or feeling weak and tired.
The secondary syphilis rash is sometimes hard to see, and it usually doesn't itch. You may feel sick and have mild flu-like symptoms, like a slight fever, feeling tired, sore throat, swollen glands, headache, and muscle aches. You can also have sores in your mouth, vagina, or anus, and weight or hair loss.
The characteristic rash of secondary syphilis may appear as rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. However, rashes with a different appearance may occur on other parts of the body, sometimes resembling rashes caused by other diseases.
Primary Stage
A single chancre marks the onset of the primary (first) stage of syphilis, but there may be multiple sores. The chancre is usually (but not always) firm, round, and painless. It appears at the location where syphilis enters the body.
In the second stage of syphilis, a rough, red or brown rash develops. It begins in one area but will eventually cover your entire body — including the bottom of your feet and palms. You may have skin rashes and/or sores in your mouth, vagina or anus.
Other symptoms can include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, wart like lesions, condyloma lata, may develop in warm moist areas, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches, and fatigue or feeling very tired.
Signs and Symptoms of Syphilis in Females. The characteristic sign of syphilis is the appearance of a sore, known as a chancre, on the infected area. These sores are firm, round, and painless, though they can potentially burst and become open and wet. This is also when the bacterial infection is at its most contagious.
Syphilis is a multisystem chronic infection caused by treponema pallidum. It can cause psychiatric disorders including depression, mania, psychosis, personality changes, delirium and dementia.
Is there a cure for syphilis? Yes, syphilis is curable with the right antibiotics from your healthcare provider. However, treatment might not undo any damage the infection can cause.
Blood Testing For Syphilis
It is often necessary for a series of blood tests to confirm or dismiss a syphilis diagnosis, so a positive screening test will trigger additional testing. Likewise, if you get a negative result, your doctor may ask you to wait a few weeks before you repeat the test.
Late stage syphilis can be cured but the damage done to the body is permanent. Syphilis can invade the nervous system at any stage of infection, and causes a wide range of symptoms, including headache, altered behavior, difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, sensory deficits, and dementia.
A syphilis test is usually a blood test. During a blood test, a health care professional will take a blood sample from a vein in your arm, using a small needle. After the needle is inserted, a small amount of blood will be collected into a test tube or vial.
A single injection of long-acting Benzathine penicillin G can cure the early stages of syphilis. This includes primary, secondary, or early latent syphilis. CDC recommends three doses of long-acting Benzathine penicillin G at weekly intervals for late latent syphilis or latent syphilis of unknown duration.
Pityriasis rosea can be mistaken for secondary syphilis. It typically erupts on the back as a pinkish, scaly, oval plaque but can occur anywhere on the body.
The open sores usually develop on the genitals, inside the mouth, or within the vagina or anus. Because these sores are often painless, many people never notice them.
Many people who have syphilis don't know it. You can have syphilis even if you don't notice any symptoms. The first symptom is a painless, round, and red sore that can appear anywhere you've had sex. You can pass syphilis to others without knowing it.
Synovitis is the primary reason for rheumatic features in syphilis and usually presents as migratory polyarthralgia. The most commonly involved joints are bilateral knees, hips, shoulders, and proximal interphalangeal joints, and it presents as subacute to chronic disease.
A presumptive diagnosis of syphilis requires use of two laboratory serologic tests: a nontreponemal test (i.e., Venereal Disease Research Laboratory [VDRL] or rapid plasma reagin [RPR] test) and a treponemal test (i.e., the T.
If syphilis goes untreated, it can progress to the rash stage. This rash can show up while you have a sore (also called a chancre) or after the chancre has healed. For the most part, a syphilis rash appears as pale, red spots on your chest, back, arms, legs, palms, and soles of your feet.
Syphilitic chancres and mucous patches usually are painless, unless they become secondarily infected. Both of these lesions are highly infectious. The chancre begins as a round papule that erodes into a painless ulcer with a smooth grayish surface (see Figure 13-4). Size can range from a few millimeters to 2 to 3 cm.
Syphilis is considered to be communicable for a period of up to two years, possibly longer. The extent of communicability depends on the existence of infectious lesions (sores), which may or may not be visible.
Tertiary (late) stage
During this stage, syphilis may cause serious blood vessel and heart problems, mental disorders, blindness, nerve system problems, and even death. The symptoms of tertiary (late) syphilis depend on the complications that develop.
Syphilis treatment depends on the stage that it is in. Stage 4 syphilis is treated with longer courses of antibiotics, such as penicillin or doxycycline. Organ damage or other complications of late-stage syphilis may not be reversible.