Knowing Syphilis

Syphilis is a very serious disease. This leads to many complications in the body if it is left neglected. If not treated at an early stage, syphilis can stay in the body for many years and slowly destroy all the nerves, blood vessels and even bones in the body.The place where the organism enters the body is known as the first site of the disease. It is most commonly on the genitals, while lesions can be seen in the tongue, cheek and even lips.

There are three stages of syphilis. The stages are less pronounced today because of the modernisation in medicine. The first sore can be seen after about ninety days of contracting the infection. It soon starts to become very painful.

If it is not treated at this stage, it goes into the second stage of the infection, where you will find a very general rash, which has different forms and colours, but is not itchy. This is when a blood test that you take will show positive for syphilis.

If you neglect the body, or do not treat the condition aggressively, the patient will slip into the third stage of syphilis. Here, there is degeneration of the various organs of the body, and the patient will encounter severe cardiovascular and neurological problems. You must remember that syphilis is only contagious in the first two stages of the ailment, and not in stage three.

This is a very big problem if present in a pregnant woman as it can be passed to the unborn baby.There is also the danger of having an abortion or still birth due to the infection.

Syphilis can be diagnosed with a smear examination, which is taken from one of the lesions or secretions in the body. This is done with more care when there is already a history of sexually transmitted diseases found in the history of the patient. There is also more care if the lady has suffered frequent abortions or miscarriages. It is also important for women to have themselves routinely screened so that it can be detected at an early stage and treated properly.