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Sexually Transmitted Diseases Fact Sheet |
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Fulton County Department of Health & Wellness |
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Syphilis |
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Syphilis is a sexually transmitted bacterial infection. In the United States, health officials reported over 32,000 cases of syphilis in 2002, including 6,862 cases of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis. In 2002, half of all P&S syphilis cases were reported from 16 counties and 1 city; and most P&S syphilis cases occurred in persons 20 to 39 years of age. The incidence of infectious syphilis was highest in women 20 to 24 years of age and in men 35 to 39 years of age. Reported cases of congenital syphilis in newborns decreased from 2001 to 2002, with 492 new cases reported in 2001 compared to 412 cases in 2002. Between 2001 and 2002, the number of reported P & S syphilis cases increased 12.4 percent. Rates in women continued to decrease, and overall, the rate in men was 3.5 times that in women. This, in conjunction with reports of syphilis outbreaks in men who have sex with men (MSM), suggests that rates of syphilis in MSM are increasing. These rising rates are an indication that people are not consistently using safer sex methods. Background
Syphilis is transmitted through oral, genital or anal sex with an infected person. A pregnant woman with syphilis can pass it on to her unborn child, sometimes causing birth defects or death. Although less common, it can be transmitted through injection drug use or through broken skin on the body. Syphilis is diagnosed through a simple blood test and is easily treated with penicillin or other antibiotics. Left untreated, syphilis moves through five stages: · primary; · secondary; · early latent; · late latent; and · tertiary. Syphilis is infectious mostly during the primary, secondary and early latent (less than one year) stages. During the latent stage, syphilis may progress into a tertiary infection. It is at this stage that syphilis can do the most damage to the body, affecting the brain, blood vessels, the heart and bones. It can eventually lead to death. Not everyone infected with syphilis will develop symptoms. That is why it is important to know if you are at risk and how to take preventative action. Health Effects of Syphilis
Syphilis is often referred to as "the great imitator" because of the wide range of symptoms that infected people may experience. These symptoms can easily be confused with those of other conditions. In primary syphilis, a painless open sore or ulcer appears at the site where the bacteria first entered the body, usually the genital area, throat or anus. Symptoms can occur within a few weeks or a couple of months after infection. Because the ulcer is painless, you may not know you have been infected. While the sore may go away on its own without treatment, the infection remains and progresses to secondary syphilis. In secondary syphilis, the symptoms can include: · patchy hair loss; · a rash on the soles of the feet, the palms of the hands or elsewhere on the body; · fever; · swollen glands; and · and muscle and joint pain. Again, these symptoms usually disappear without treatment. Minimizing Your Risk
Following these suggestions may help you protect yourself from contracting syphilis: · Learn about safer sex and safer injection practices. · Make informed decisions. Talk to your partner about their STI status and the use of protection. · Correct use of condoms reduces the risk of STI transmission. · Ask for a syphilis test. Individuals who are most at risk of acquiring syphilis are: · Individuals with more than one sexual partner (heterosexuals and MSM); · Injection drug users and their partner(s); · Sex trade workers and their clients / partner(s); · People whose sexual partner has syphilis; and · People who have been diagnosed with another STI. If you are diagnosed and treated for syphilis, be sure to follow up with your doctor after treatment is done to make sure the infection is gone. It is also important that you or someone from your public health department notify any of your sexual or needle-sharing partners who may have been put at risk of infection. They will also need to be tested and possibly treated.
What is the link between syphilis and HIV?
Of particular concern is the interaction between syphilis and HIV/AIDS. Genital sores (chancres) caused by syphilis make it easier to transmit and acquire infection. There is an estimated 2- to 5-fold increased risk of acquiring HIV infection when syphilis is present. Furthermore, people who are HIV positive and also have syphilis are at greater risk of transmitting the infection to others. It can be difficult to successfully treat HIV patients who have syphilis. Ulcerative STDs that cause sores, ulcers, or breaks in the skin or mucous membranes, such as syphilis, disrupt barriers that provide protection against infections. The genital ulcers caused by syphilis can bleed easily, and when they come into contact with oral and rectal mucosa during sex, increase the infectiousness of and susceptibility to HIV. Having other STDs is also an important predictor for becoming HIV infected because STDs are a marker for behaviors associated with HIV transmission. What is the treatment for syphilis?
Syphilis is easy to cure in its early stages. A single intramuscular injection of penicillin, an antibiotic, will cure a person who has had syphilis for less than a year. Additional doses are needed to treat someone who has had syphilis for longer than a year. For people who are allergic to penicillin, other antibiotics are available to treat syphilis. There are no home remedies or over-the-counter drugs that will cure syphilis. Treatment will kill the syphilis bacterium and prevent further damage, but it will not repair damage already done. Because effective treatment is available, it is important that persons be screened for syphilis on an on-going basis if their sexual behaviors put them at risk for STDs. Persons who receive syphilis treatment must abstain from sexual contact with new partners until the syphilis sores are completely healed. Persons with syphilis must notify their sex partners so that they also can be tested and receive treatment if necessary. Will syphilis recur?
Having syphilis once does not protect a person from getting it again. Following successful treatment, people can still be susceptible to re-infection. Only laboratory tests can confirm whether someone has syphilis. Because syphilis sores can be hidden in the vagina, rectum, or mouth, it may not be obvious that a sex partner has syphilis. Talking with a health care provider will help to determine the need to be re-tested for syphilis after treatment has been received. How to avoid syphilis?
The surest way to avoid transmission of sexually transmitted diseases, including syphilis, is to abstain from sexual contact or to be in a long-term mutually monogamous relationship with a partner who has been tested and is known to be uninfected. Avoiding alcohol and drug use may also help prevent transmission of syphilis because these activities may lead to risky sexual behavior. It is important that sex partners talk to each other about their HIV status and history of other STDs so that preventive action can be taken. Genital ulcer diseases, like syphilis, can occur in both male and female genital areas that are covered or protected by a latex condom, as well as in areas that are not covered. Correct and consistent use of latex condoms can reduce the risk of syphilis, as well as genital herpes and chancroid, only when the infected area or site of potential exposure is protected. Condoms lubricated with spermicides (especially Nonoxynol-9 or N-9) are no more effective than other lubricated condoms in protecting against the transmission of STDs. Based on findings from several research studies, N-9 may itself cause genital lesions, providing a point of entry for HIV and other STDs. In June 2001, the CDC recommended that N-9 not be used as a microbicide or lubricant during anal intercourse. Transmission of a STD, including syphilis cannot be prevented by washing the genitals, urinating, and or douching after sex. Any unusual discharge, sore, or rash, particularly in the groin area, should be a signal to refrain from having sex and to see a doctor immediately. Where can I get more information?
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