According to the United States Center for Disease Control, syphilis is often called "the great imitator" because the symptoms are so often mistaken for symptoms of other less dangerous diseases.
The CDC recorded over 36,000 cases of the disease in 2006, including nearly 10,000 cases of primary and secondary syphilis.
It is most common in women ages 20 to 24 and in men ages 35 to 39.
You can contract the disease through direct contact with a syphilis sore during anal, vaginal, oral or rectal sex.
Syphilis Symptoms Syphilis has three stages with distinct symptoms.
Many people do not recognize the early symptoms of the disease and remain untreated after the disease enters the third, latent stage.
First Stage Syphilis The first symptom of syphilis is a small sore or chancre that appears at the spot where the disease entered the body.
The sore appears between 10 and 90 days after exposure, with the average onset of symptoms being 21 days.
Some people have several sores, though one is more common.
It is usually small, round, firm and painless, and disappears on its own in 3-6 weeks.
If it is not recognized as syphilis and treated, however, the disease doesn't go away.
It progresses to the second stage.
Second Stage Syphilis In the secondary stage, the disease has a wide range of symptoms that are often mistaken for other conditions.
They include rashes on various parts of the body and lesions that may appear in the mucus membranes.
The rash may be so faint that it is not even noticed.
Other secondary stage symptoms of syphilis include fever, blisters, muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, patchy hair loss and headaches.
Latent Syphilis - Third Stage If it is left untreated, syphilis will enter a latent stage with no overt symptoms.
This stage can last for many years.
While a person who has the disease in the latent stage has no symptoms and does not spread the disease, they are still infected and can be treated.
Later Stage Syphilis This stage appears in about 15% of people who have contracted the disease about 10 to 20 years after the initial symptoms.
In the late stage, damage can occur to the internal organs, including the brain, blood vessels, eyes, bones, liver, joints, heart and nerves.
The symptoms of late stage syphilis include numbness, difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, dementia, confusion, blindness and eventually, the damage may cause death.
STD Testing for Syphilis The disease can be detected through a simple STD screening that includes examining cells from a lesion or chancre in the first two stages of syphilis, and blood tests during any stage of syphilis.
If detected during the first year, a single shot of penicillin will eradicate the disease and prevent further damage.
Because the early symptoms can be so vague and mistaken for other illnesses, the CDC says that it is extremely important for sexually active teens as well as adults whose behavior might increase their risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases to schedule regular testing to screen for syphilis.
Routine, regular STD testing can detect early enough to prevent permanent damage from the disease.
The CDC recorded over 36,000 cases of the disease in 2006, including nearly 10,000 cases of primary and secondary syphilis.
It is most common in women ages 20 to 24 and in men ages 35 to 39.
You can contract the disease through direct contact with a syphilis sore during anal, vaginal, oral or rectal sex.
Syphilis Symptoms Syphilis has three stages with distinct symptoms.
Many people do not recognize the early symptoms of the disease and remain untreated after the disease enters the third, latent stage.
First Stage Syphilis The first symptom of syphilis is a small sore or chancre that appears at the spot where the disease entered the body.
The sore appears between 10 and 90 days after exposure, with the average onset of symptoms being 21 days.
Some people have several sores, though one is more common.
It is usually small, round, firm and painless, and disappears on its own in 3-6 weeks.
If it is not recognized as syphilis and treated, however, the disease doesn't go away.
It progresses to the second stage.
Second Stage Syphilis In the secondary stage, the disease has a wide range of symptoms that are often mistaken for other conditions.
They include rashes on various parts of the body and lesions that may appear in the mucus membranes.
The rash may be so faint that it is not even noticed.
Other secondary stage symptoms of syphilis include fever, blisters, muscle aches, fatigue, sore throat, swollen lymph glands, patchy hair loss and headaches.
Latent Syphilis - Third Stage If it is left untreated, syphilis will enter a latent stage with no overt symptoms.
This stage can last for many years.
While a person who has the disease in the latent stage has no symptoms and does not spread the disease, they are still infected and can be treated.
Later Stage Syphilis This stage appears in about 15% of people who have contracted the disease about 10 to 20 years after the initial symptoms.
In the late stage, damage can occur to the internal organs, including the brain, blood vessels, eyes, bones, liver, joints, heart and nerves.
The symptoms of late stage syphilis include numbness, difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, dementia, confusion, blindness and eventually, the damage may cause death.
STD Testing for Syphilis The disease can be detected through a simple STD screening that includes examining cells from a lesion or chancre in the first two stages of syphilis, and blood tests during any stage of syphilis.
If detected during the first year, a single shot of penicillin will eradicate the disease and prevent further damage.
Because the early symptoms can be so vague and mistaken for other illnesses, the CDC says that it is extremely important for sexually active teens as well as adults whose behavior might increase their risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases to schedule regular testing to screen for syphilis.
Routine, regular STD testing can detect early enough to prevent permanent damage from the disease.
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