Introduction

Syphilis is a bacterial infection that is usually passed on through sexual contact. It can also be passed from an infected mother to her unborn child and, in rare cases, can be caught through injecting drugs.

It is extremely rare to catch syphilis through a blood transfusion in the UK as blood donors are carefully screened.

Three stages of disease

Stage 1 (primary syphilis). Symptoms of syphilis begin with a painless but highly infectious sore on the genitals or sometimes around the mouth. If somebody else comes into close contact with the sore, typically during sexual contact, they can also become infected. The sore lasts two to six weeks before disappearing.

Stage 2 (secondary syphilis). Secondary symptoms, such as a skin rash and sore throat, then develop. These symptoms may disappear within a few weeks, after which you experience a latent (hidden) phase with no symptoms, which can last for years. After this, syphilis can progress to its third, most dangerous stage.

Stage 3 (tertiary syphilis). At this stage, it can cause serious damage to the body.

The primary and secondary stages are when you are most infectious to other people. In the latent phase (and usually around two years after becoming infected), syphilis cannot be passed onto others but can still cause symptoms. See Symptoms of syphilis for more information on the stages of the disease.

How common is it?

The number of diagnoses of syphilis has risen substantially in the past decade in the UK. There have been a number of local outbreaks across England, the largest of which was in London between 2001 and 2004. Rates are highest among gay men.

However, syphilis still remains one of the less common sexually transmitted infections in the UK. Between 2007 and 2008, there was a slight decline in diagnoses in the UK.

Outlook

If diagnosed early, syphilis can be easily treated with antibiotics, usually penicillin injections (see Treating syphilis for more information).

However, if it is not treated, syphilis can progress to a more dangerous form of the disease and cause serious conditions such as stroke, paralysis, blindness or even death.

Symptoms of Syphilis

The symptoms of syphilis are the same for men and women and can be difficult to recognise. They are often mild, which means you can pass on the infection without knowing you have got it.

The symptoms develop in three stages:

primary syphilis
secondary syphilis
tertiary syphilis

Primary syphilis

The initial symptoms of syphilis can appear any time from 10 days to 3 months after you have been exposed to the condition.

The most common symptom is the appearance of a small, painless sore or ulcer (called a chancre). The sore will appear on the part of your body where the infection was transmitted, typically the penis, vagina, anus, rectum, tongue or lips. Most people only have one sore, but some people have more.

You may also experience swelling in your lymph glands (small organs found throughout the body, such as in the neck, groin or armpit).

The sore is painless and may be overlooked, so the condition can be spread without you realising there is an infection.

The sore will then disappear within two to six weeks and, if the condition is not treated, syphilis will move into its second stage.

Secondary syphilis

The symptoms of secondary syphilis will begin a few weeks after the disappearance of the sore.

Common symptoms include:

a non-itchy skin rash appearing anywhere on the body,
but commonly on the palms of the hands or soles of the feet
tiredness
headaches
swollen lymph glands

Less common symptoms include:

fever
weight loss
patchy hair loss
joint pains

These symptoms may disappear within a few weeks, or come and go over a period of months.

Latent phase

Syphilis will then move into its latent (hidden) phase, where you will experience no symptoms, even though you remain infected. Latent syphilis can still be passed on during the first year of this stage of the condition, usually through sexual or close physical contact. However, after a couple of years, you cannot pass the infection to others, even though you remain infected.

The latent stage can continue for many years (even decades) after you first become infected.

Without treatment, there is a risk that latent syphilis will move on to the most dangerous stage: tertiary syphilis.

Tertiary syphilis

The symptoms of tertiary syphilis can begin years or even decades after initial infection.

The symptoms of tertiary syphilis will depend on what part of the body the infection spreads to. For example, it may affect the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, bones, skin or blood vessels, potentially causing any of the following symptoms:

stroke
dementia
loss of coordination
numbness
paralysis
blindness
deafness
heart disease
skin rashes

At this stage, syphilis can be dangerous enough to cause death.


To learn more about Syphilis it’s Causes, Diagnosis, Treatment, Complications and Prevention please visit the NHS website by clicking HERE