Syphilis is a venereal disease in which men in particular are affected. Since the signs of syphilis are most diverse and occur in different stages, the disease often remains undetected.
What is syphilis?
Syphilis is a common and easily transmitted venereal disease, which is triggered by the bacterium treponema pallidum. The pathogen can be found in the mucous membrane and in the blood. Most of the time, syphilis is transmitted by unprotected sex or oral sex. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of infections in this country has been increasing again for several years and reports on almost 8,000 cases in 2019.
Syphilis is mostly diagnosed in men who are infected with another man during sexual intercourse. The transfer is also easy to use by shared injections in drug use. If recognized early and treated with antibiotics, the chances of recovery are good. If left untreated, syphilis can cause serious health damage.
Syphilis: signs of venereal disease
Syphilis runs in several stages and can therefore have different signs. Doctors differentiate between early and late syphilis. The early phase in turn is divided into the primary stage and the secondary stage. In some cases, syphilis cannot show symptoms, which makes the diagnosis difficult.
Early syphilis:
In the first stage, no symptoms occur immediately after the infection. After about 14 to 24 days, nodules are created in the primary stage at the body where the pathogen has penetrated. For example, the acorn or the penis furrow can be affected by men. Women can get nodules on the labia, the vaginal courtyard, the cervix, or on the clitoris. However, depending on the sex practice, other places can also be affected - for example, the tongue, nose, lips, oral cavity, throat, anus, or rectum. The nodules can develop into painless ulcers after a week or two.
Furthermore, after two to three months, flu-like symptoms such as fever, head, and joint pain can occur in the secondary stage. Skin and mucosal changes are particularly characteristic that can be shown in the form of flaky or purulent blisters. Infested mucous membranes are red or gray-white.
Late syphilis:
In the third phase, ulcers can form on the entire body after years. Organs and the nervous system can be damaged so that deafness, blindness, and restrictions on cognitive performance are threatened. However, this case rarely occurs due to good treatment options.
Treatment of syphilis
Syphilis is usually treated with an antibiotic, mostly with penicillin. The drug is either injected into the muscle or put into the vein in the event of difficult courses via an infusion. With a penicillin allergy, other active ingredients such as doxycycline or erythromycin are eligible.
If the disease is treated directly at the beginning and in the first two stages, therapy takes about two to three weeks. In later phases, the treatment usually takes longer.
Prevent syphilis
In order to protect yourself from an infection as best as possible, condoms and femiidomas help. However, these do not offer 100 percent protection against infection. If you suspect to be ill with syphilis, you should see a doctor. A blood test can be determined whether you have infected yourself. If you are proven by syphilis, the infection must be reported to the RKI because the spread is monitored.
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