Asymptomatic neurosyphilis means that neurosyphilis is present, but the individual reports no symptoms and does not feel sick. Meningeal syphilis can occur between the first few weeks to the first few years of getting syphilis. Individuals with meningeal syphilis can have headache, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting.
Syphilis is an STI with different signs and symptoms. Untreated neurosyphilis can result in serious medical complications, including permanent paralysis, dementia and death.
Neurosyphilis usually occurs about 10 to 20 years after a person is first infected with syphilis. Not everyone who has syphilis develops this complication.
Syphilis is a multisystem chronic infection caused by treponema pallidum. It can cause psychiatric disorders including depression, mania, psychosis, personality changes, delirium and dementia.
Individuals with meningeal syphilis can have headache, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting. Sometimes there can also be loss of vision or hearing. Meningovascular syphilis causes the same symptoms as meningeal syphilis but affected individuals also have strokes.
You can live a normal life, but it's important to take precautions to protect others. First, get treatment and wait until a healthcare provider tells you you are cured before you have sexual activity. If syphilis progresses to the last stage, it can affect many vital organs and be life-threatening.
If you progress to Stage 4 syphilis, the damage to your body will get worse as time goes on. If your brain and spinal cord are affected you may become permanently mentally ill and paralyzed. You may also become blind and your bones and heart may be harmed. (Your aorta may become inflamed.
Syphilis develops in stages, and symptoms vary with each stage. But the stages may overlap, and symptoms don't always occur in the same order. You may be infected with syphilis without noticing any symptoms for years.
But the most frequent cause of syphilitic dementia is paretic neurosyphilis (or dementia paralytica, or general paralysis of the insane or general paresis). Paretic neurosyphilis occurs in about 5% of patients untreated for early syphilis, usually from 10 to 25 years after the infection.
There are four stages of syphilis (primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary). Each stage has different signs and symptoms.
Latent Stage
Late latent syphilis is latent syphilis where infection occurs more than 12 months ago. Latent syphilis of unknown duration is when there is not enough evidence to confirm initial infection was within the previous 12 months. Latent syphilis can last for years.
Antibiotic treatment cures the syphilis infection and stops the progress of neurosyphilis. But the damage that has already occurred may not be reversed.
Neurosyphilis is a result of invasion of the central nervous system by Treponema pallidum, which can occur at any stage of syphilis.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) that's treatable with medication. Without treatment, syphilis causes serious health problems. It can permanently damage your heart, brain, muscles, bones and eyes.
Syphilis sores (AKA chancres) usually start to show up around 21 days (3 weeks) after you've been infected. However, they can show up anywhere from 10 days to 3 months after you've been infected.
It can take up to 12 weeks from the time you're exposed to syphilis for blood tests to show the infection.
Blood tests can tell if your body is making the antibodies to fight the infection. The ones that fight syphilis bacteria can stay in your body for years, so your doctor can tell if you were infected, even if it were a long time ago.
Untreated syphilis infection can lead to irreversible neurological and cardiovascular complications. Depending on the stage, neurosyphilis can manifest as meningitis, stroke, cranial nerve palsies during early neurosyphilis or tabes dorsalis, dementia, and general paresis during late neurosyphilis.
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.
Ocular syphilis may lead to decreased visual acuity including permanent blindness. Ocular syphilis can be associated with neurosyphilis. Both ocular syphilis and neurosyphilis can occur at any stage of syphilis, including primary and secondary syphilis.
Syphilis also came to humans from cattle or sheep many centuries ago, possibly sexually”. The most recent and deadliest STI to have crossed the barrier separating humans and animals has been HIV, which humans got from the simian version of the virus in chimpanzees.
In its initial infection stage, syphilis produces characteristic sores, known as chancres, that appear on the infected area. Chancres are typically painless, firm, and round, though they can pop open and appear wet. Most people typically only have one chancre at a time, but it's possible to have several sores [2].
Syphilis Re-infection
Because the antibodies detected in treponemal tests usually remain detectable for life, even after successful treatment, the non-treponemal titer (RPR or VDRL) must be used to monitor for a re-infection with syphilis.