Syphilis

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Summary

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria. It infects the genital area, lips, mouth, or anus of both men and women. You usually get syphilis from sexual contact with someone who has it. It can also pass from mother to baby during pregnancy.

The early stage of syphilis usually causes a single, small, painless sore. Sometimes it causes swelling in nearby lymph nodes. If you do not treat it, syphilis usually causes a non-itchy skin rash, often on your hands and feet. Many people do not notice symptoms for years. Symptoms can go away and come back.

The sores caused by syphilis make it easier to get or give someone HIV during sex. If you are pregnant, syphilis can cause complications, or you could lose your baby. In rare cases, syphilis causes serious health problems and even death.

Syphilis is easy to cure with antibiotics if you catch it early. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading syphilis. If your or your partner is allergic to latex, you can use polyurethane condoms. The most reliable way to avoid infection is to not have anal, vaginal, or oral sex.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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Syphilis (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
Syphilis (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
Syphilis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

Syphilis Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, and Syphilis (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)
Neurosyphilis (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Specifics

Tabes Dorsalis (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)

Images

Primary Syphilis (VisualDX)

Statistics and Research

Syphilis (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
Syphilis Statistics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

ClinicalTrials.gov: Syphilis (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

Find an Expert

Children

Syphilis (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

Syphilis (Nemours Foundation)

Men

Syphilis and MSM (Men Who Have Sex with Men) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

Women

Syphilis (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health) Also in Spanish
Syphilis in Pregnancy (March of Dimes Foundation) Also in Spanish

Patient Handouts

Condom Fact Sheet in Brief (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
Congenital syphilis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
CSF-VDRL test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
FTA-ABS blood test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Neurosyphilis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
RPR test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
Syphilis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
VDRL test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

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MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA

National Institutes of Health

The primary NIH organization for research on Syphilis is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases

Disclaimers

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