First Stage: a sore appears on the public organ of the person infected, called chancre, and lymph glands nearby are also enlarged. On the male the chancre is obvious, but in the female the chancre may be inside the vagina and not be noticed.
The snore persists for 1 - 5 weeks and then heals over if no treatment is given (but, of course, the disease is still present).
Second stage: this next stage occurs 6 weeks to 6 months after Syphilis infection. There is a rash all over the body, enlarged glands all over, headache, and malaise, sore throat with ulcers, sometimes loss of the voice for a short time, large flat warts near the anus and 'female part' (called condylomata lata), and perhaps loss of hair. There may be some involvement of the nervous system even at this stage.
Third Stage (tertiary or late syphilis): the symptoms of the second stage die way after a month or two. Then no symptom will occur for between 4 and 25 years, though the disease is still alive in the body. Gummata occur gradually in many parts of the body, and always destroy tissue; as a result many disastrous symptoms can occur, according to which part of the body is most affected. Such late results of syphilis include:
weakness and swelling of the aorta, leading to rupture and instant death; changes in the coronary arteries and aortic valves, and heart failure; death of the optic nerve and hence blindness; tabes dorsalis, damage to the spinal cord which causes ataxia; ulcers of the feet and bladder troubles; general paralysis and insanity.
Finally, it must be remembered that a woman can pass on syphilis to her children before birth, even when she does not know that she has syphilis. She may have passed through the secondary stage many years before and be in a latent phase of which the only evidence is a "positive blood test."
The consequences to the unborn child of congenital syphilis are just as serious, as numerous and dashed as those of "sexuality" acquired syphilis. The child may be still-born. Or it may appear normal at birth, but gradually develop a wide variety of symptoms, inauding difficulty in breathing through the nose, and nasal discharge, rash, enlargement of the lives and spleen, painful and distorted bones, and then much later deafness, blindness, or other paralysis.
Untreated syphilis is a very serious disease sooner or later, to the patient and the child.
Syphilis Treatment
PAM daily for 10 days for early week syphilis or 8 cc initially and then 4 cc twice a week for 5 injections; for late syphilis prolonged penicillin treatment until negative blood examination proves cure (but in late syphilis much of the damage is already done).Treatment of the mother before eighteenth week of gestation will prevent the baby from being infected and treatment during pregnancy, after the eighteenth week, will cure the baby already infected.If treatment was not given and a baby is born with congenital syphilis, then it must receive a course of PAM.
Cause.
A bacterium called Treponema pallidum.Syphilis Source
A partner in mating, either man or woman, already suffering from syphilis, or a mother infected with syphilis. Occasionally, blood transfusion if the blood containt the spirochaete.Syphilis Route
At least 90 per Cent of infections are acquired through mating. Infection through cuts, handling placenta by nurses, etc., can occur but is rare.There is also a form called endemic syphilis which is due to skin contact with cases or from using shared utensils.Syphilis Susceptibles
Those who indulge in promiscuous intercourse or with partners who themselves have been prograuous. Prostitutes are of course especially liable to contract and transmit syphilis.Syphilis Prevention
1. For the individual: getting immediate treatment from a doctor or VD clinic; avoidance of promiscuity.2. For society in general: the setting up of venereal disease clinics where the infected can be treated in privacy and with thoroughness; tracing the treatment through these clinics of contacts of the infected; health education both to non-sufferers to avoid infection, and to sufferers to seek early treatment.
For the prevention of congenital syphilis a blood test should be carried out on all pregnant women.
Some religious groups like men and women to have a medical examination and blood test on marriage which is a very good move to prevent the multiplication of the syphilis disease.
The biggest problem is tracing the contacts and this requires great tact on the part of the health visitor.
