Syphilis

Syphilis

Definition and Cause

Syphilis is a intricate sexually transmitted disease which is caused by the spirochete bacterium which is palladium. It is through direct contact with skin ulcers and is transmitted from an infected person. This is occurred through sexual contact with the mucous membranes of the genitals or mouth occurs, but the disease can also be occur through out of order skin on other parts of the body and is transmitted through contact with dirty blood.

Transmission

The transmission of syphilis by blood transfusion is very rare since treponema pallidum cannot survive for more than 48 hours in stored blood (Ahmed, Lutalo , Wawer, et al., 2001). There is also a congenital syphilis, which is the one acquired by the fetus when the mother is infected by Treponema palladium during pregnancy. Syphilis in pregnant women can cause miscarriage, premature birth, fetal death and malformations.

Symptoms and Risks

The disease is divided into three stages, primary syphilis, secondary syphilis and tertiary syphilis. The incubation period, i.e. the time interval between exposure and the first symptoms is on average 2 to 3 weeks. However, there are cases where this interval could be as short as three days or as long as three months (Cook, Clark, Bellis, et al., 2001). The primary lesion of syphilis is a papule (a small rise in the skin) on the genitals that in a few hours turns into an ulcer is not painful. In women this injury may go unnoticed, since it is small on average 1 cm in diameter, painless and usually stay hidden among the pubic hair or inside the vagina. There are other symptoms associated with lesions of primary syphilis, the patient has a maximum increase in the groin lymph nodes (lumps). In some cases the ulcer may appear in the mouth or pharynx, if the transmission has been given through oral sex. The ulcer of syphilis is called chancre and after 3 to 6 weeks disappear even without treatment, leading to the false impression of spontaneous healing. Therefore, syphilis is a disease initially painless, which often go unnoticed and that often seems to disappear spontaneously after some time (Ahmed, Lutalo , Wawer, et al., 2001).

Another typical lesion of secondary syphilis is called condyloma lata, wound moist, resembling a large wart, which usually appears near the place where the injury existed chancre in primary syphilis. There are cases, however, that secondary syphilis presents few symptoms, so that the patient does not give much importance to the frame. About 20% of patients with secondary syphilis do not consider their symptoms bothersome enough to seek medical help. Just as occurs in primary syphilis, secondary syphilis symptoms resolve spontaneously without any treatment.

The main early symptom of primary syphilis is the appearance of the ulcer. This symptom appears at 2-4 weeks after infection. Usually, they are localized on the genitals, around the anus, on the lips, in the mouth or on the skin area where the penetration agent remains. What is a chancre? First, it is not a bright red spot, ...