Syphilis: causes, types, management and lots more!!

Hello everyone and a warm welcome to another day of learning. My Previous article was on Insomnia, it causes, symptoms as well as it risk factors. If you didn't go through it, you can access through this link

Today, I'll be writing on something vital, especially among the students. Its a well known disease in campuses, its called Syphilis. I'll be giving details on its causes, diagnosis, symptoms and treatment. Have a good read.

According to WHO, about 3.2% of neonatal death comes as a result of syphilis infection from mother to child. There is an estimated 6M new cases of syphilis globally, this occurs between the ages of 15 and 45. In the united state alone, 133,943 cases were reported in 2020.

What is syphilis
Syphilis is a bacterial infection caused by the spirochete bacteria Treponema pallidum (T. pallidum). It can only be transmitted amongst human during sexual intercourse or through direct contact with a syphilitic sore.

It first begins as a painless sore on the genitals, rectum, mouth or on the skin. If left unattended to, it may remain dormant in some people for years and later get reactivated to cause damage to vital organs of the body like the kidney and heart.

Syphilis can cause significant damage to sensitive parts of the body if not diagnosed early. It typically grows worse with time, hence, early diagnosis is the key to the effective treatment of syphilis.

symptoms
The development of syphilis takes effect in stages, hence, symptoms are dependent on the stage of the syphilis infection. There are 4 stages of syphilis;

• Primary syphilis
• Secondary syphilis
• Latent syphilis and
• Tertiary syphilis
You can read more on their stages here
Generally, some of the common symptoms experience during syphilis infection includes

1. Painless sore on the genitals (it appears 10-90 days after infection.
2. Muscle aches
3. Swollen lymph nodes
4. Non itchy red rash that spreads around the entire body
5. Fatigue
6. Sore throat
7. Weight loss
8. Intermittent headaches
9. Joint pains.

When syphilis remains in the body for a long time, it can cause severe damage to the kidney, liver, heart and bones. Neurosyphilis can also develop when the bacteria finds it way to the nervous system and causes neurological disorders like dementia, seizure, vision loss, confusion and lack of concentration.

Causes
As stated earlier, syphilis is caused by a spirochete bacteria Treponema pallidium which is responsible for the infection. It can be transmitted through direct contact with the syphilitic sore or chancre in the mouth, anus, vagina, penis or the skin. this contacts are most certain during sex which could be either through the anal, oral or vaginal route.

Congenital syphilis is also possible with babies whose mothers had the infection before giving birth. 70% of those babies usually don't survive, some die immediately, others stay for a few more days before finally dying.

Diagnosis
If you notice any of the aforementioned symptoms, it'll be wise to visit the nearest diagnostic laboratory for a test to be carried out and result given in the next 24hours.

In cases where the individual is incapacitated, home testing kits can be purchased and test done in the house. If the test result returns positive, medical treatment should be sought for immediately. Early treatment can reduce the severity of the symptoms.

prevention

The best way to prevent syphilis is to stay away from its underlining causes and taking heed of the following advise
• Avoid unprotected sex
• use of contraceptives during sex
• Avoid sharing of sex toys
• Screen your partner regularly and talk to them about the risk of contacting the infection
• Staying faithful to one partner
• Practice safe sex

Treatment
Since Treponema pallidum is a bacteria, its development can be inhibited by some empirical antibiotics. The most common antibiotic used in this regard is penicillin G injection.

In some patients with hypersensitivity for penicillins, doxycycline or ceftriaxone can be used as alternative.

Note, treatment should only be done by an health expert as self medication might be dangerous.

During treatment, sex should be avoided, at least till your health care expert declare you free of the infection. This is important, so as not to transmit the infection.

Conclusion

Syphilis is a very complicated bacterial infection which often appears asymptomatic for a while before a blown infection occurs. Avoid having unprotected sex or stay glued to one partner in other to prevent the delirious consequence that comes along with syphilis infection.