Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Syphilis can cause serious damage to your heart or brain if not treated promptly.
Yes, early syphilis CAN be cured and if treated early enough long term damage to the heart and brain can be avoided! Because syphilis is caused by bacteria, antibiotics (e.g. penicillin) rid the body of the infection.
There are three stages of syphilis, each with its own symptoms. The first stage starts 3-12 weeks after you are infected. The first symptom is an open sore called a chancre (pronounced SHANK-er). The chancre is typically brownish-red and painless and usually appears on your genitals, in your mouth or inside your rectum or vagina. Although this sore goes away on its own after 1-5 weeks, a person who had a chancre still has syphilis.
The second stage begins about 2-7 months after getting syphilis. Symptoms during this stage can include rashes (on the body, hands, or feet), mucous patches, patchy hair loss (alopecia), and clusters of hard, white warts which appear on the genitals and on or around the anus. Like the chancre, these symptoms go away; however, the person still has syphilis.
The third stage of syphilis, which can begin years after the time of the initial infection, may involve the loss of eyesight and hearing as well as heart disease and brain damage. Also, people who are HIV-positive sometimes progress to the third stage more quickly than those who do not have HIV.
Sometimes people do not notice or recognize these symptoms. Think about it: if you had a syphilis chancre in your throat that didn’t hurt, how would you know? Some folks ignore the symptoms, thinking they are “nothing really” or that they are something else, like an allergic reaction. Or maybe, perhaps, that sore on their penis is from an unfortunate “zipper accident.” (Think about it guys: wouldn’t you know FOR SURE if your penis had recently been in a fight with your zipper?) Finally, because visible symptoms eventually go away, it’s easy to think “whatever it was, it’s not a problem now….” These common misconceptions, and the fact that syphilis can become very serious, even deadly in its later stages, make it very important for sexually active people to get tested for syphilis.
If you believe you have symptoms of syphilis, STOP having sex and get tested as soon as possible.
Please note: if you infect someone else with syphilis and you have sex with them again after you have been treated, your chances of getting re-infected with syphilis dramatically increase if they have not been properly treated as well. So, if you think you have syphilis, for your own sake and the sake of others, please get tested. And get treated if necessary. It’s easy!
You get syphilis from skin-to-skin contact with an open sore called a “chancre.” Syphilis, unlike HIV, is NOT passed by exposure to bodily fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or breast milk.
While it is possible to get syphilis just from rubbing genitals together or kissing if a sore is present on the genitals, on the lips, or on the tongue, you are much less likely to get syphilis from these activities than if you have unprotected oral, anal, or vaginal sex.
Condoms only work where you use them, and work best when they are used properly. If you do not use a condom for oral sex, you are at risk for contracting syphilis. Also, remember that if the sore is not covered by the condom your partner is wearing, or if the bare skin beyond the condom you are wearing touches the sore, you can get syphilis even though you are using condoms.
A syphilis test requires a simple blood draw, like a traditional HIV test. Sometimes people prefer to get both an HIV test and a syphilis test at the same time because of this.
If the result is positive, the test gives a ratio that relates to the amount of antibodies in your blood.
If you are symptomatic, it is very important to be treated immediately because you are most infectious while symptomatic. If you test positive but are not showing any symptoms, it is still very important to get treated.
Syphilis tests are available from your private doctor or through your county health department.
If you have symptoms of syphilis, you are encouraged to be tested and treated as soon as possible.
If you’re at risk for syphilis, we encourage you to get tested for syphilis every six months. Some folks may want to consider more frequent testing. For instance, a number of medical providers urge sexually active individuals with HIV who have partners whose syphilis status is not known get tested for syphilis every three months. Why? Being infected with syphilis makes it easier to get or give HIV, 3 to 5 times easier in fact. And syphilis can advance very rapidly in HIV-positive people. These dangers can be avoided with testing and lifestyle changes and, if necessary, treatment. Please talk with a medical provider for more specific recommendations.
Syphilis is normally treated with one dose of benzathine penicillin. For those who are HIV-positive, the recommended initial treatment is one dose with follow-up to determine if additional doses are needed. If you are allergic to penicillin, the treatment is an oral antibiotic called Doxycycline. Your medical provider can provide treatment. You may also receive no cost treatment at your local county health department.
If you recently had syphilis or have syphilis right now, all of your sex partners (i.e. anyone with whom you had oral, anal or vaginal sex, with or without condoms) from the last three months should be tested for syphilis and treated, even if their test comes back negative. Because the incubation period for syphilis is three months, you can have a negative result on your syphilis test for up to three months, but still have syphilis in your body.
Any sex partners you have had prior to three months ago should be tested only and the situation evaluated to determine whether or not the person needs to be treated. For more information on the treatment of sex partners please contact a Communicable Disease Specialist at 706-295-6656.
If you have syphilis, it’s incredibly important that your partner(s) be told. Just thinking about it probably makes you cringe. Your feelings of discomfort are very understandable; however, if you don’t tell your partner(s), you might end up dealing with even more serious consequences. Untreated partners could potentially develop life-threatening health problems. They could also infect someone else or even re-infect you. Remember – you can get syphilis again and again.
Keep in mind that no one intentionally gives another person syphilis. A person with syphilis often has no obvious symptoms or has symptoms (i.e. mouth ulcer, hair loss, rashes) that they can easily mistake for a more harmless condition.
There IS a very important link between syphilis, as well as other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and HIV. Studies have repeatedly demonstrated that people are more likely to become infected with HIV when other STDs are present. This is because some STDs, like syphilis, cause lesions or sores that can serve as a way for HIV to enter a person’s body. Other common STDs, like gonorrhea or chlamydia, can irritate sensitive membranes in the penis, vagina, or anus. This irritation can make it easier for a person to become infected with HIV if they have unprotected sex with a person who is HIV positive.
There is an additional link between HIV and syphilis. If a person is HIV positive, or if the immune system is weakened for any reason, syphilis (and other STDs) may progress faster and do more damage to the body.
For these reasons, it is important for all people at risk to be tested on a regular basis for STDs like syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia. These three diseases are completely curable if treated early.
Pregnant women can transmit syphilis to their unborn child. Untreated syphilis during pregnancy can lead to stillbirth, neonatal death, or infant disorders such as deafness, neurologic impairment, and bone deformities. All pregnant women should be tested for syphilis at intervals during their pregnancy and at delivery to be certain of their status and should be treated if they are positive or have had sex with someone who KNOWS they have syphilis. Testing and treatment is the best way to protect the health of the baby and the mother.
Syphilis infections in the United States tend to move in cycles. At some times, there are large numbers of infections, and at other times, there are very few. Right now in many major cities in the U.S., there are an increasing number of syphilis infections in men who have sex with men. Whatever your sexual orientation, it’s important to get a syphilis test if you’re at risk.
Public Health’s goal to eradicate syphilis from Georgia’s communities resulted in the formation of a special state-wide Syphilis Elimination Effort. All across Georgia public health officials and county boards of health are working together with medical care providers and communities to make Georgia a healthier place to live. One part of making Georgia healthier is to work toward the elimination of syphilis.
If you’re at risk, get tested.