Frequently Asked Questions About STDs by Samuel G. Woods

Author:Samuel G. Woods
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc

The symptoms of syphilis can include headaches, loss of appetite, aches, and even rashes.

If the sore has disappeared and the syphilis is still not treated, the disease gets more serious. It enters the secondary stage. The secondary stage is anywhere from six weeks to six months after the infection began.

In the secondary stage, the spirochetes have multiplied throughout the whole body and symptoms can take different forms. Most symptoms develop in the mucous membranes and the skin. The mucous membranes are the soft linings inside the body cavities, like the nose and mouth. A rash can break out on the skin anywhere on the body. It often appears on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Patches of hair can fall out, too.

When these symptoms appear, it means the person is very contagious. A partner will get syphilis from the person. The symptoms can last for weeks. Eventually they go away. But even when they go away, the syphilis stays.

After the second stage disappears, the person has latent syphilis. Latent means hidden. A person with latent syphilis may no longer have any symptoms, but a blood test would still show the disease. Most people are not infectious after they have had syphilis for one year. But if syphilis is left untreated for long, it can cause brain damage. Spirochetes can destroy brain tissue as well as affect the heart, skin, and bones. There are other symptoms of untreated syphilis. Spinal cord damage and paralysis can occur. Many victims lose their ability to walk and see. These are results of the spirochetes slowly damaging organ tissue.

It is very dangerous for a pregnant woman to have syphilis. A pregnant woman will pass the disease to her baby during childbirth. Syphilis in newborn infants can cause deformities and even death. Treating syphilis is simple, especially if begun early. It can be treated and cured by penicillin. If a patient is allergic to penicillin, the doctor can give another antibiotic.

Gonorrhea

According to the CDC, 301,174 cases of gonorrhea were reported in the United States in 2009, an 11 percent decrease from the previous year.

Gonorrhea is caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhea. These bacteria cannot live outside the human body. They live in the mucous membranes inside the eyelids, mouth, rectum, penis, or vagina. It is not true that you can get gonorrhea by casual contact. You cannot get it from a doorknob or a toilet seat. You cannot get it from a handshake or through a cut in the skin. The only ways for it to pass from one person to another are through sexual activity and childbirth.

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