Syphilis
Syphilis is a potentially serious infection that is transmitted by having sexual contact with an infected person. The condition can be passed on through oral, anal and vaginal sex, or by sharing sex toys.
The disease is potentially very serious and can be fatal if not treated. Having syphilis also increases a person’s risk of contracting HIV by approximately 3 to 5 times.
If you think you may have put yourself at risk, we recommend you get tested for this and other STI’s as quickly as possible, limiting the risk of complications. Nu Healthcare perform these tests quickly, professionally and confidentially making it as stress free as possible.
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of syphilis are often mild and difficult to spot. The disease presents in the same way for both men and women and is often categorized into three stages;
Primary Syphilis Symptoms
Symptoms include:
•Small painless ulcer/s to the area that was infected (normally the vagina, penis, anus, mouth or tongue)
•Swelling to lymph glands (in the neck, armpits or groin)
The sores will disappear within 6 weeks, if not treated the disease will spread to the secondary stage.
Secondary Syphilis Symptoms
Symptoms include:
•A rash anywhere on the body (most commonly on the hands or feet)
•Fatigue
•Swollen lymph glands (in the neck, armpits or groin)
•Headaches
•Fever
•Weight loss
•Hair loss
•Joint and muscle aches
This phase normally lasts between weeks and months. After this, the disease goes into the latent phase where there will be no symptoms for many years although the person remains infected.
Tertiary Syphilis
These symptoms normally appear years or decades after the primary infection. This is a very serious stage of the disease and can cause life limiting and life threatening complications including dementia, blindness, paralysis, stroke, deafness, heart disease and numbness.
Diagnosis
The only way to know if you have syphilis is to have a test. At Nu Health, we offer an examination and blood test to check for syphilis. We recommend that you have a full Sexual Health Screen at this time.
Treatment
If caught early enough, syphilis can normally be treated with antibiotics.
Confidentiality
All procedures at Nu Health are completely confidential. For continuation of care, we will automatically let your GP know about any consultations, tests, results, referrals or advice given. If you would prefer us not to do this, please let us know and we will not disclose the above.
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