Syphilis
In this condition factsheet:
Diagnosing Syphilis
Syphilis is easy to diagnose in the primary or secondary stage if there's a visible sore or ulcer. A swab of this sore will provide bacteria that can be identified under the microscope. Otherwise, blood tests are available to confirm the diagnosis. These blood tests can be repeated after treatment to confirm that it has been successful.
Treating and Preventing Syphilis
Penicillin, given as a long-acting injection of penicillin G benzathine, is used to treat all stages of syphilis. Despite over 60 years of use, the syphilis bacterium has not yet developed resistance to this original antibiotic. For primary syphilis, one injection (usually given as half a dose into each buttock) is enough to permanently cure this disease that once claimed so many lives.
Secondary and early-latent syphilis are treated the same way. Penicillin G benzathine will stay in the tissue for about 3 weeks. Most people with infectious syphilis, especially those in the secondary stage, suffer a reaction when they're first treated. The symptoms include a sudden fever with headache, sweating, and possibly a rash. This clears up in less than 24 hours.
Penicillin stops the infectivity within a day or 2, and cures the disease in 1 to 2 weeks. A person should wait until the treatment is finished before engaging in sex. If the person is allergic to penicillin, desensitization to penicillin may be necessary or another antibiotic may be substituted.
Late-latent stage and some forms of tertiary syphilis are also treated with penicillin injections. Treatment usually requires an injection once weekly for 3 weeks. Though this doesn't always kill all the hidden bacteria, it does generally stop further damage. There's no way to repair the organ damage that's already been done, however.
It is important to keep your follow-up appointments with your doctor. Even though you may have been treated with antibiotics, treatments have been known to fail. Your doctor will do some blood tests to make sure that the antibiotics have worked and that the bacteria have been cleared away
The best way to avoid these complications and syphilis altogether is by practicing safe sex. Wearing a condom correctly is a good first step, but standard intercourse is not the only way to get syphilis. Any mouth-to-genital contact and sometimes even mouth-to-mouth contact is enough to transmit the disease. To minimize your risk, limit your number of sexual partners and be careful who they are – ask for a syphilis (and other STI) test. If you develop syphilis, your sexual partners should be notified, tested, and possibly treated.
All material copyright MediResource Inc. 1996 – 2024. Terms and conditions of use. The contents herein are for informational purposes only. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Source: www.medbroadcast.com/condition/getcondition/Syphilis
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