Syphilis

From ArticleWorld

There are different theories as to where and when syphilis originated but a typical one is that the disease is a manifestation of yaws, which is a tropical infection of the skin, bones and joints caused by the same bacteria as syphilis and transmitted by skin contact. It presumably came to the ‘new world’ with Columbus and, under the different conditions it found itself in, mutated to syphilis.

The first well recorded outbreak of the disease occurred in Naples in 1494 and the affliction in those days was a more virulent, deadly disease than we know now. It was an untreatable condition for centuries until the early twentieth century when fairly effective treatments were developed. It was only with penicillin, however, that the disease met its match and so it remains as the treatment of choice today.

Stages of the disease

There are three stages of syphilis:

1. 1. Primary syphilis – this stage becomes obvious after an incubation period of typically 21 days (maybe fewer, maybe more) with the appearance of a painless ulcer on the skin that lasts for 4 to 6 weeks and then heals itself.

1. 2. Secondary syphilis – a skin rash appears on the skin 6 to 8 weeks after the primary infection which may spread all over the body including the palms of the hands and soles of the feet. At this stage, syphilis is at its most contagious.

1. 3. Tertiary syphilis – this stage may occur one year after the initial infection or it may take up to ten years; in some cases, it has even manifested itself fifty years after the primary infection. Soft, tumour-like growths appear anywhere on the body, even in the skeleton. Untreated syphilis also causes a deformity of the joints, neurological complications leading eventually to insanity and cardiovascular problems that ultimately lead to death.