Originally posted by rathcycle:
Syphilis
[b]what is Syphilis
Syphilis is an STD caused by the bacteria Treponema pallidum. It's sometimes called the "great imitator" because early symptoms are so similar to other diseases. The disease proceeds through stages -- In primary syphilis, a chancre -- an open sore that's usually painless -- appears, most commonly on the genitals, usually 10-90 days after exposure. In secondary syphilis, a skin rash appears, on any part of the body, including palms of hands & soles of feet. In tertiary syphilis, the disease spreads to internal organs, where it can do serious damage. A pregnant woman can pass the disease on to her child. Having syphilis makes a person more susceptible to HIV. Early diagnosis is important because syphilis is readily treatable with antibiotics.
how to find out if you got it
To find out if you have syphilis the doctor must do a blood test. Syphilis is easily treated with penicillin. However, left untreated, syphilis is a deadly disease, and can kill a person years after infection. The first sign of syphilis is often a sore that doesn't hurt and that goes away even if you don't take any medicine. This sore is called a chancre. It usually appears on the penis, vagina, or rectum. Syphilis is most easily spread when someone has a chancre.
There is usually only one chancre, but sometimes there are more. The chancre is usually round. It often looks like several layers of skin are missing. Women who don't get treated for syphilis can give it to their unborn babies. Often these babies are born dead or have brain damage!
These are other signs of syphilis:
Losing patches of hair
Losing eyebrows
A rash on the body (anywhere on the body)
A rash on the bottom of the feet or the palms of the hands are another symptom of syphilis. You can not get syphilis by touching this rash, unless there are open sores.
Most men and women will go through a period of time when they don't have any signs of syphilis. They don't feel sick, BUT they still have syphilis. This can happen after the chancre has gone away, but before the rash appears. This can also happen after the rash goes away or their hair starts growing back.[/b]
You forget to mention that syphilis if not effectively treated initially can progress to neurosyphilis after a period of time for some patients - usually 10 - 20 yrs & in some cases their mental faculties are so badly affected that they need to be taken care of in a psychiatric hospital. However this condition has been almost completely prevented because of early effective treatment