Could You Have Syphilis and Not Know It?

Many people think that if you have a sexually transmitted disease (also known as STD or STI- sexually transmitted infection) you would be able to tell. It is also a misconception that you would be able to tell if your partner has an STD. There aren't always obvious signs that something is wrong, such as open sores or strange odors.

Syphilis is one of these difficult to detect STDs. Over time, syphilis can permanently damage the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones, and joints permanently.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Syphilis has noticeable symptoms, but they often are mistaken for other diseases and conditions. Also, the symptoms often don't appear until years after a person has contracted the disease.

Syphilis has four stages: primary, secondary, latent, and late stage. During the first stage, typically one sore appears, though there may be multiple sores as well. The sores, also called chancres, are small, round, and painless. They appear where the syphilis bacterium entered the body. Others who come into contact with this sore can get syphilis. The chancre will heal on its own within 3 to 6 weeks. However, this does not mean the syphilis has been cured. It continues to progress to the second stage.

The secondary stage usually starts with a rash on the body, possibly in more than one place. The rash doesn't itch. It can appear while the chancre is still present or a few weeks after it has healed. The rash appears as a rough, reddish brown spots and generally is found on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Other symptoms of the secondary stage are common to many other infections, so they might be mistaken for those conditions. In addition to sounding like other ailments, the symptoms will heal on their own, whether or not you are treated for syphilis. These symptoms include: swollen lymph nodes, fever, sore throat, headache, weight loss, hair loss in spots, muscle aches, and fatigue.

Once the secondary symptoms subside, the latent stage begins. It is called latent because there are no symptoms for this stage. Without treatment, the infection spreads through the body, causing damage to many different organs and body systems.

According to the CDC, late stage syphilis develops in fifteen percent of people who have latent syphilis. It can take 10 to 20 years after the initial infection to develop into the late stage. Late stage syphilis may cause difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness, and dementia. It can also cause death.

Sources:

Syphilis: CDC Fact Sheet, http://www.cdc.gov/std/syphilis/STDFact-Syphilis.htm