FREE ESSAY ON SYPHILIS

SYPHILIS

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the spiral bacteria called Treponema
pallidum. Syphilis consists of three main stages, primary stage, secondary stage, and
latent stage. The latent stage may lead to a final stage called the tertiary stage.
There are many cures to syphilis, and it is virtually eliminated from today's society.
There are a few ways to contract the disease, all of which can be prevented.
The primary stage of syphilis is characterized by a small lesion, called a chancre, which
resembles a pimple, blister or open sore. This occurs anytime between nine days and three
months after infection. Fluid from the chancre is extremely infectious, but usually
painless. Normally it appears on the genitals or near where the bacteria entered the
body. It often hides and many people never realize that it is there. On women, the sore
can be found hidden in the vagina or the folds of the labia. On men, it usually hides in
the folds of the foreskin, under the scrotum, or near the base of the penis. Men more
often than women will also have swollen lymph nodes in the groin. At this stage, the
chancre is very infectious. It will heal with or without treatment, but the bacteria will
remain and begin to spread if untreated.
In the secondary stage, occurring about six weeks later, a generalized rash appears. It
can last for weeks or months, perhaps up to a year. Painless ulcers develop in the mouth.
Most people discover raised areas around the genitals or anus. The bacteria can be easily
spread through mucous patches on the raised areas, which are called condylomalata.
Flu-like symptoms start to occur, and can come and go for years. These symptoms may
include a rash (over entire body or just on palms of hands and soles of feet), a sore in
the mouth, swollen and painful joints, aching bones, and a mild fever or headache. These
symptoms usually disappear in 3 to 12 weeks. Some people even experience hair loss during
the secondary stage of syphilis.
The disease then enters a latent stage in which no outward signs or symptoms occur,
however, the bacteria are active inside your body, multiplying and attacking internal
organs. The latent stage can last from 20 to 30 years. When second stage symptoms
completely disappear, the disease is no longer infectious. At this point, the rule of
thirds comes into play. Among the total number of latent syphilis cases, one-third will
go away on their own, one-third will stabilize, and one-third of the cases will evolve to
the next and last stage. When the final stage, tertiary syphilis, does occur, it could be
fatal. It may produce hard nodules, called gummas, in the tissues under the skin, the
mucous membranes, and the internal organs. The bones are also affected, as well as the
liver, kidney, and other visceral organs. Infection of the heart and major blood vessels
accounts for most of the syphilis related deaths.
A special kind of syphilis, which occurs in nearly 15 percent of the tertiary cases, is
called neurosyphilis. It causes lack of muscular coordination, loss of urinary control,
and degeneration of the reflexes. It also may cause pregnancy problems, including
miscarriage, stillbirth, or to the birth of a child with congenital syphilis. Infected
children often have typical signs, such as high forehead, saddlenose, and peg-shaped
teeth.
Syphilis can be diagnosed and treated with relative ease. Because of this, the past
twenty-five years or so have seen a marked decline in the number of tertiary stage cases
of syphilis and of deaths due to the disease. Syphilis is mostly treated by an injection
of penicillin, or by a two-week regimen of tetracycline. Two follow-up blood tests two
weeks apart from the initial test and two weeks apart from each other are needed to
ensure the treatment was effective. The first three stages of syphilis are completely
curable, and even in the last stage syphilis can be stopped. With the present medical
technology to diagnose and treat syphilis, there is no excuse for anyone in the U.S. to
suffer the last stage of syphilis.
Alternatives to penicillin are necessary because many people are allergic to penicillin
and in some people it is not effective in treating syphilis. Early detection of syphilis
disables the disease completely. In pregnant women, early detection of the infection can
reduce the chances of the fetus becoming infected.
Syphilis is sexually a transmitted disease, and is usually transmitted by sexual contact
or kissing. The way it infects is from the secretions emitted from the sores, and the
bacterium gets into small tears or cuts on the genitalia. Unlike AIDS, infection from
contaminated objects is rare, because drying quickly kills the organisms. You cannot
obtain syphilis from casual hugging, or from toilet seats in dirty bathrooms. The way you
can prevent contraction of syphilis is to use a condom, or sustain from sexual activity
all together. If you do see any early signs of syphilis, contact a doctor right away, and
it can almost certainly be cured in the primary and early secondary stages.