Syphilis

Syphilis - a serious disease, which is characterized by damage to the skin, mucous membranes and internal organs of man.

It is classified as classic sexually transmitted diseases. Unprotected sexual intercourse with an unreliable or casual sexual partner can cause syphilis.

Symptoms of syphilis are very diverse, and the manifestations of the disease largely depend on its period. Previously, this infection was considered incurable, but nowadays it is successfully treated with antibiotics.

How is syphilis transmitted?

In most cases, infection with syphilis occurs during sexual intercourse in the vagina, mouth or rectum. Treponema penetrates the body through minor defects in the mucosa of the genital tract.

However, there are cases of infection by the household way - the disease is transmitted from one partner to another through saliva at a kiss, through objects of common use on which there is a dry detachable containing pale treponema. Sometimes, the transfusion of infected blood can become the cause of infection.

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Causative agent

A moving microorganism from the order spirochete, pale treponema is the causative agent of syphilis in women and men. It was opened in 1905. German microbiologists Fritz Shaudin (German. Fritz Richard Schaudinn, 1871-1906) and Erich Hoffmann (German. Erich Hoffmann, 1863-1959).

The incubation period

On average, it is 4-5 weeks, in some cases the incubation period of syphilis is shorter, sometimes longer (up to 3-4 months). Usually it is asymptomatic.

The incubation period can increase if the patient has taken some antibiotics due to other infectious diseases. During the incubation period, the test results will show a negative result.

Symptoms of syphilis

The course of syphilis and its characteristic symptoms will depend on the stage of development on which it is located. In this case, the symptoms in women and men can be very diverse.

It is generally accepted to distinguish 4 stages of the disease - beginning from the incubation period, and ending with tertiary syphilis.

The first signs of syphilis make themselves felt after the end of the incubation period (it proceeds without symptoms), and the beginning of the first stage. It is called the primary syphilis, which we will discuss below.

Primary syphilis

The formation of a painless chancre on the labia in women or the glans penis in men is the first sign of syphilis. It has a solid base, smooth edges and a brownish-red bottom.

Sores are formed at the site of penetration of the pathogen into the body, it can be other places, but more often chancres are formed it is on the genitals of a man or a woman, since the main way of transmission of the disease is through sexual intercourse.

After 7-14 days after the onset of a solid chancre, the nearest lymph nodes begin to grow. This is a sign that triponemes with blood flow are carried throughout the body, and affect the internal organs and systems of man. The ulcer heals independently within 20-40 days after the onset. However, this can not be regarded as a cure for the disease, in fact the infection develops.

At the end of the primary period, specific symptoms may appear:

weakness, insomnia;
headache, loss of appetite;
low-grade fever;
pain in muscles and joints;

The primary period of the disease is divided into seronegative, when the standard serological reactions of the blood are negative character (the first three to four weeks after the onset of a solid chancre) and seropositive when the blood reactions are positive.

Secondary syphilis

After the end of the first phase of the disease, secondary syphilis begins. Symptoms that are typical at this point - the emergence of a symmetrical pale rash throughout the body, including the palms and soles. It does not cause any painful sensations. But it is the first sign of secondary syphilis, which occurs 8-11 weeks after the appearance of the first ulcers on the patient's body.

If the disease is not treated at this stage, then with time the rash disappears and syphilis flows into a latent stage, which can last up to 4 years. After a certain period of time, a relapse occurs.

At this stage, rashes are less, they are more faded. The rash often occurs in areas where the skin is exposed to mechanical stress - on the extensor surfaces, in the inguinal folds, under the mammary glands, in the interannual fold, on the mucous membranes. It is possible to hair loss on the head, as well as the appearance of flesh-colored growths on the genitals and in the region of the anus.

Tertiary syphilis

Today, fortunately, infection in the third stage of development is rare.

However, if the disease is not treated in a timely manner, then after 3-5 years or more from the time of infection, the tertiary period of syphilis begins. At this stage, the infection affects the internal organs, foci (humus) on the skin, mucous membranes, heart, liver, brain, lungs, bones and eyes are formed. The back of the nose can sink, and during meals and food gets into the nose.

Symptoms of tertiary syphilis are associated with the death of the nerve cells of the brain and spinal cord, as a result, dementia, progressive paralysis may occur in the advanced third stage. The Wasserman reaction and other assays may be weakly positive or negative.

Do not wait for the development of the last stage of the disease, and at the first alarming symptoms, immediately consult a doctor.

Diagnostics

Diagnosis of syphilis will directly depend on the stage at which it is located. It will be based on the symptoms of the patient and the analyzes received.

In the case of the primary stage, hard chancers and lymph nodes are susceptible to examination. In the next stage, the affected areas of the skin, papules of the mucous membranes are examined. In general, bacteriological, immunological, serological and other methods of investigation are used to diagnose infection. It should be taken into account that at certain stages of the disease the results of tests for syphilis can be negative in the presence of the disease, which makes it difficult to diagnose the infection.

To confirm the diagnosis, a specific Wasserman reaction is carried out, but it often gives false results of the analysis. Therefore, several types of tests should be used simultaneously for diagnosis of syphilis - RIF, ELISA, RIBT, RPGA, microscopy, PCR analysis.

Treatment of syphilis

In women and men, the treatment of syphilis should be comprehensive and individual. This is one of the most formidable venereal diseases, leading to serious consequences for the wrong treatment, therefore, under no circumstances should you do self-medication at home.

The basis for the treatment of syphilis is antibiotics, due to them the effectiveness of treatment has come close to 100%. The patient can be treated on an outpatient basis, under the supervision of a doctor who prescribes complex and individual treatment. Today, for antisyphilitic therapy, penicillin derivatives are used in sufficient doses (benzylpenicillin). It is inadmissible to prematurely stop treatment, it is necessary to undergo a full course of treatment.

At the discretion of the attending physician, prescribing supplementary antibiotics treatment - immunomodulators, probiotics, vitamins, physiotherapy and the like. During treatment, a man or a woman is strictly prohibited from any sexual contact and alcohol. After the termination of treatment it is necessary to hand over control analyzes. These can be non-treponemal blood tests in quantitative form (for example, RW with cardiolipin antigen).

Effects

Consequences of treated syphilis usually consist in reducing immunity, problems with the endocrine system, lesions of the chromosomal series of varying severity. In addition, after the treatment of pale treponema, the blood remains a trace reaction, which may not disappear until the end of life.

If syphilis is not detected and not cured, it can progress to the tertiary (late) stage, which is the most destructive.

Complications of the late stageinclude:

Gunma, large ulcers inside the body or on the skin. Some of these gums "dissolve" without leaving traces, in place of the others syphilis ulcers are formed, resulting in softening and destruction of tissues, including the bones of the skull. It turns out that a person simply rots alive.
Lesions of the nervous system (latent, acute generalized, subacute (basal) meningitis, syphilitic hydrocephalus, early meningovascular syphilis, meningomyelitis, neuritis, spinal cord, paralysis, etc.);
Neurosyphilis, which affects the brain or shell that covers the brain.

If the infection with treponema has occurred during pregnancy, the consequences of the infection can be manifested in a child who gets a pale treponem through the mother's placenta.

Prevention

The most reliable prevention of syphilis is the use of a condom. It is necessary to conduct timely screening in contact with infected people. It is also possible to use antiseptic drugs (hexicon and others).

If an infection is detected, it is important to inform all of your sexual partners about it so that they also undergo an appropriate examination.

Forecast

The prognosis of the disease is favorable in most cases. Timely diagnosis and adequate treatment leads to complete recovery. However, with prolonged chronic course and in cases of infection of the fetus, persistent irreversible changes leading to disability develop in the womb of the mother.