One of the oldest and most classic venereal diseases is syphilis transmitted through sexual contact. This disease does not choose sex, they are equally sick both women and men( often in reproductive age).
Everybody heard about him, everyone is afraid of him. This ailment is characterized by the defeat of the skin, mucous, it affects and disables the cardiovascular system, stomach and liver, nervous system and osteoarticular.
The causative agent of the disease is the pale treponema microorganism, which can not exist in the external environment for more than 3 minutes, therefore it penetrates into the human body. A microbe is transmitted from an infected partner to a healthy partner with close( sexual) contact.
How can I get infected?
The causative agent of this disease is a microorganism called pale treponema. He is mobile, it is comfortable to be in people's bodies. But outside, from the temperature drops, this microbe is dying. Therefore, in most cases, a woman becomes infected with syphilis sexually during sexual contact with a sick syphilis.
But if the male elements of primary syphilis are located on the lips or in the mouth, it is possible to infect and through a kiss - this is how syphilis in girls can appear. It is not excluded for women and the way of life of infection in close contact with the patient - through utensils, linens, personal hygiene items and so on.
After infection at the site of the infectious agent( pale treponema) in 3-4 weeks( the incubation period can last from 5 days to six months) there is a hard chancre.
Symptoms of syphilis in women
In women, the first signs of syphilis( see photos) appear 2-4 weeks after infection. Clinical manifestations are divided into 3 periods: primary, secondary and tertiary syphilis. Jazvochki( hard chancre) are formed in the representatives of the weaker sex on the mucous membrane of the vagina, the labia. But, like men, they can appear on other parts of the body. The size of the formation varies from a small( 1-3 mm) to a giant( 2 cm).
To manifestations of syphilis in women of the primary form can be attributed and the increase in lymph nodes that are located next to the affected area. After a woman can feel a slight malaise. In this case, the secretions become thick with syphilis, can cause itching and burning, have a puffy consistency and have an unpleasant odor, which is the product of the activity of a pathogenic microbe.
The disease then passes to the next stage, which is considered to be a secondary .In this period, syphilis is expressed by the appearance of a pale rash all over the body, including on the palms and soles. In this case, the patient may have a headache, loss of appetite, malaise, fever of up to 38 °, an aching in the bones, insomnia. In addition, hair, eyelashes and eyebrows may fall out, which is quite unpleasant for a woman, and also condylomas can appear on the genitals and in the anus.
In addition, in the second stage of syphilis development( see photo), papules may appear in the oral cavity and in the tongue, in the region of the vocal cords, resulting in syphilitic hoarseness. Usually, after two and a half months, even without treatment, the rash completely disappears, and secondary latent syphilis begins. After a certain period of time, a relapse occurs.
In tertiary syphilis , which is extremely rare, internal organs and systems are affected, cartilage deforms and grows into tumors - gums. Patients often have a nose. The body is covered with tubercles - syphilis. Over time, the disease ends in a fatal outcome.
During pregnancy
Syphilis is especially dangerous during pregnancy. An infected woman can give birth to a dead child, or endure a baby with serious pathologies in development, sometimes incompatible with life.
In time the treatment started will help to prevent infection of the baby and the woman who was sick will be able to give birth to a healthy child. Therefore, it is very important to conduct regular thorough diagnosis and constantly monitor your health.
Treatment of syphilis in women
If you have symptoms of syphilis, you can not independently treat. Improperly selected drugs will not bring any effect, but can make the course of the disease secretive, and this will further complicate the diagnosis and make the treatment extremely difficult.
The treatment plan depends on the type of the disease :
- primary,
- secondary,
- tertiary,
- with nervous system( neurosyphilis),
- with latent flow( latent form).
Most of the drugs prescribed for the treatment of syphilis are antibiotics of the penicillin series, as well as its derivatives. Unlike other infections, pale treponema has not lost its sensitivity to this group of antibacterial drugs, although for many years the penicillin group drugs have been used against it.
Remember that if you do not detect early manifestations of syphilis, and do not start therapy, then the infection affects the internal organs of the woman, the structures of the musculoskeletal system and the nervous system. This leads to the development of complications, which, at times, are incompatible with life. Therefore, knowing the early signs of this disease can save a person's life, since in the first stages, syphilis is well treatable with antibiotics.