Secondary syphilis - symptoms and manifestations
Syphilis is commonly called infectiousa disease that is provoked by pale treponema. Without treatment, syphilis acquires a chronic course, with occasional relapses. The longer syphilis is not treated, the more serious and dangerous become the changes in the body, changing over time into irreversible forms.
Pale treponema enters the body throughmicroscopic damage to the skin or mucous membranes. Most often, infection occurs during sexual intercourse. In utero infection of the fetus is also possible, but as a result of mass medical examination of pregnant women, congenital syphilis became a rarity. Infection by household means is also a rare, but quite possible, case.
The incubation period for each infected personindividual, usually it is a period of 10 to 78 days. But the first symptoms of syphilis appear, as a rule, within a couple of weeks after infection. At the place where the introduction of the pathogen occurred, a skin lesion is formed, which is called a solid chancre. Since the main way of infection is sexual, the hard chancre often appears on the genitals. The lesion is an oval-shaped erosion with even margins. Another disturbing symptom is an increase in the lymph nodes in the affected area. That is, if you become sexually infected, the inguinal nodes will increase. Sometimes patients during this period note the malaise, the symptoms of which resemble the flu - headaches and muscle pains, fever, weakness.
The primary period lasts about 6 weeks, towards the end of the patient, all lymph nodes are enlarged, this condition is called syphilitic polyadenitis.
If during this period the patient did not receive treatment, thenSecondary syphilis comes. To begin this period of the disease is characterized by the formation of a rash, which appears throughout the body. Often at this time, patients note deterioration of health, the emergence of headaches, fever.
The rash, with which secondary syphilis begins,can look like pink spots, small abscesses or nodules. Such rashes do not cause pain and do not itch. The rash on the body lasts for several days, then disappears. Then, from time to time, the rash appears again, but now it does not appear throughout the body, but in separate areas. In this case, each new relapse is characterized by the fact that the rash becomes smaller, and their size increases.
A typical manifestation that provessecondary syphilis, is the appearance of nodular rashes in the groin, on the genitals, in the anus and in the armpits. These lesions proliferate, forming wet sores, which produce an unpleasant odor. Such sprouting does not cause severe pain, but because of its localization often hinder walking.
During this period, the so-calledsyphilitic sore throat, in which there is a characteristic defeat of the tonsils, but the throat does not hurt at the same time. At the same time, whitish spots can appear on the mucous membranes in the oral cavity, cracks appear in the corners of the lips, which are called syphilitic seizures.
Secondary syphilis is also characterized bythe appearance of a rash on the soles of the feet and palms. On the forehead are often formed lesions in the form of nodules, which received a romantic name "crown of Venus." Similar painless lesions can occur around the neck, here they resemble white spots with dark rims. For a special arrangement, these rashes became known as the "necklace of Venus." In the same period, hair loss, including eyebrows and eyelashes, is often noted.
An experienced physician, as a rule, can visuallyexamination reveal secondary syphilis, the manifestation of which is characterized by the described symptoms. But for the final diagnosis is required analysis.
Treatment of syphilis will be more successful the sooner it is started after infection. Therefore, you should contact the venereologist for any suspected infection with STDs.
