Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum.
It is acquired through sexual intercourse with an infected person, through vaginal or anal penetration, but it is also transmitted by oral sex or any other type of intimate contact with an active syphilitic lesion.
If it is not treated in its initial phase, it is chronicled and it goes through phases of symptoms alternating with other asymptomatic prolonged ones. Syphilis can go unnoticed and remain dormant in the body for years. In the first phase, the most characteristic feature is the appearance of a chancre or painless ulcerated lesion on the genitals or the mouth, which disappears on its own. In the second phase, a rash of red spots throughout the body is typical, affecting the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Finally, after many years without any symptoms, serious complications such as dementia or syphilitic neurisma of the aorta can occur.
In case of infection, the diagnosis is made by clinical suspicion performing a blood test. In most countries, screening (preventive medical examination) is included in the routine analysis of pregnant women to avoid congenital syphilis that can cause serious malformations and developmental problems in the baby. It is often associated with other sexually transmitted diseases.
Syphilis is easily prevented by using condoms in risky sexual relationships. It is cured with penicillin administered intramuscularly, leaving no sequelae except in the last phases, which are currently rare to see.
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