Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection that is transmitted from one person to another through sexual contact. In Fort Worth, TX, this disease mostly affects people with multiple sexual partners and those who do not practice safe sex. The first symptom of syphilis is a sore which you may fail to notice because it does not cause pain at the area where it is located.
Syphilis is a common cause of genital lesions in Fort Worth that are open and may develop secondary infections. Syphilis has a latent phase in which it causes no symptoms and this phase can last for many years. It is important to get early treatment for syphilis so that major complications, like the disease spreading to the brain, can be avoided.
What Causes Syphilis?
The bacteria that causes syphilis is called treponema pallidum. The infection spreads through sexual intercourse when the skin or mucous membranes of an infected person come into contact with the membranes of another person who has cuts or abrasions. The infection spreads during the primary and secondary stages when it is most infectious.
Rare ways through which syphilis can spread include kissing a person who has an open ulcer. Pregnant women who have syphilis can transmit it to their unborn children. Other risk factors for syphilis include having sex without protection and having multiple sexual partners. People living with HIV and men who have sex with men are also at risk of syphilis.
What Are the Symptoms of Syphilis?
Different stages of syphilis are primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary phases. The symptoms of syphilis depend on the stage you are at, but different stages may overlap causing a mixture of symptoms. The primary stage presents with a small rash that occurs at the area where the transmission occured.
This sore develops within four weeks after infection and may heal in three to six months. When the rash resolves, you can develop another rash that is localized in one area but which eventually spreads to the whole body; this is the secondary phase of syphilis.
Other symptoms of the second phase include muscle pain, loss of hair, genital warts, fever, and sore throat that can last for a few weeks and sometimes recur many times in a year. The latent phase develops if you do not get treatment at the secondary phase. The latent phase does not have symptoms and lasts for many years.
The last phase of syphilis is the tertiary phase which is the stage of complications. Only about 10% of people get to this stage. The infection can spread to other organs like the heart and brain, causing damage. Children born with congenital syphilis have symptoms like deafness, heart conditions, and a nose whose bridge is depressed.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease that is transmitted from one person to another through sexual intercourse. The disease can also spread through kissing and from an infected mother to her unborn child. The four stages of syphilis are the primary, secondary, latent, and tertiary phases. You can prevent this STD infection by practicing safe sex and going for regular screening.
