Syphilis Symptoms in Men

One of the common sexually transmitted diseases (STD) is known as syphilis - a bacterial infection. Recent reports reveal the fact that since the year 2000, there has been a noticeable rise in the cases of this condition. Out of all the cases, it was found that about 2/3rd of men who had sexual relationships with other men, fell victim to this disease. The incidents of the infection has also been found to have risen in young women too. This disease tends to be more prevalent among the African-American. This bacterial condition is known to damage the heart and brain if left untreated. In some cases, even death may occur. The good news is, if detected early, it has good chances of being cured with the help of antibiotics.

Commonly Exhibited Symptoms of Syphilis

First Stage
In the first stage (primary syphilis), one classic symptom is enlarged lymph node in the groin area. Accompanying this, there might occur a firm sore in areas such as that of the genitals, rectum, tongue and lips. The sore may be single or multiple, and is small in size, and does not cause any pain.

Second Stage
In this stage, syphilis may cause fever, soreness, sore throat, and sores which appear as warts on the mouth and areas of the genitals. A rough rash, red or reddish-brown in appearance may also occur in any part of the body. This is also known as the syphilis rash. It is also one of the classic syphilis symptoms in women and men, and so are swollen lymph glands, abnormal fatigue and discomfort for no apparent reason.

Third Stage
This stage is termed as 'latent syphilis'. The affected person steps in this stage if he has received no treatment for his condition. Here, there are no such symptoms at all, thus, this stage can be regarded to be an asymptomatic one. The significance of this stage is that it can last for many years and the signs and symptoms may never show.

Tertiary Stage
People who do not receive any treatment when they are still in the early stages of syphilis, tend to develop the symptoms of the late syphilis. Here some of the common symptoms of syphilis are gradual onset of blindness, numbness in the body, occurrence of paralysis, and dementia (a kind of mental deterioration). People who are in this stage also exhibit behavior of uncoordinated muscle movements.

From Mother to the Child
There are cases when an affected mother can pass the STD to the unborn child. Most often, by the age of 3 months, the affected child may start showing symptoms, which include:

• Development of skin rashes
• Occurrence of skin sores
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and whites of the eyes)
• Fever
• Infection of the umbilical cord
• Anemia
• Swelling of the liver and swollen spleen

It should be borne in mind that the symptoms of this sexually transmitted disease are not specific to a particular gender. Syphilis, when gets diagnosed and treated early, is significantly easy to cure. In all stages the treatment plan involves the use of penicillin - an antibiotic that helps in eliminating the causal bacteria from the body. In case you were not aware, if the patient has been suffering from the condition for less than a year, then all he/she needs is a single shot of penicillin injection to curb the disease from progressing any further. Otherwise, additional doses are required, if the infection had been in progress for more than a year.