Syphilis in men

In Europe alone, the number of detected cases of syphilis has almost doubled over the past 10 years. At the same time, 85% of the patients are men!

In Russia, according to experts, in general, the situation with syphilis is stable. According to the Ministry of Health in Russia in 2018, the incidence rate in our country was 16,5 cases per 100 thousand people, which is 10 times lower than in 2000.

The leaders in the incidence of syphilis are the regions of Eastern Siberia and Primorsky Krai. In the European part of Russia, amorous disease was most often recorded in the Kaluga and Saratov regions.

What is syphilis?

Doctors refer this disease to infectious venereal diseases. The causative agent of syphilis Treponema pallidum bacteria (pale treponema)

With syphilis, the skin, mucous membranes, internal organs, bones, nervous system are affected with a successive change in the stages of the disease. In a neglected case, this leads to death.

Causes of syphilis in men

There are three main reasons:

• unprotected intercourse – in 90% of cases of infection, this is the route of transmission of the infection;
• blood transfusion – from an infected donor or through shared syringes and utensils for preparing drugs;
• domestic infection – when using the patient’s personal belongings that have come into contact with his blood or mucous membranes, for example, a toothbrush with drops of blood, but this route of infection is rarely observed.

The most dangerous are people with early forms of syphilis, especially those who have weeping rashes on the skin and mucous membranes (erosions, ulcers, etc.). Most often, rashes are located on the external genital organs, in the perineum, on the oral mucosa and on the lips.

Syphilis symptoms

They depend on the stage of the disease. Syphilis in men in rare cases can proceed unnoticed, in others it is so pronounced that it is impossible not to notice it.

primary stage. Her symptoms are:

• hard chancre – deep often painless sores with smooth sides, bottom and edges, regular rounded shape; sometimes the chancre can be multiple and affects the hands, mouth, scrotum, lips, abdomen, etc.;
• enlargement of local lymph nodes;
• temperature increase;
• joint pain.

Secondary syphilis. It appears as follows:

• multiple spots, plaques and papules on the body;
• patchy hair loss.

Treatment of syphilis in men

The first medicine for the treatment of a terrible disease was invented by Paracelsus. The greatest doctor of the Middle Ages did not know that pale treponema is sensitive to compounds of mercury, arsenic, bismuth and iodine, but noticed that the mercury ointment, which he rubbed into the legs of patients, slows down the course of the disease. People infected in the USSR were treated with mercury preparations until 1963. However, the effectiveness of this technique left much to be desired. From toxicity, patients lost their hair and developed serious complications. Since 1943, doctors began to introduce effective and non-toxic drugs of the penicillin series into clinical practice.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of “syphilis” is made after a thorough study of the clinical picture and confirmed by laboratory. For this, blood tests and sometimes cerebrospinal fluid are taken. Today, the following methods are used to diagnose syphilis:

• serodiagnosis and PCR;
• Wasserman reaction (obsolete);
• linked immunosorbent assay.

You can also test for syphilis at home. Tests are sold in regular pharmacies.

Modern methods of treatment of syphilis

Pale treponema has retained sensitivity to penicillin and drugs based on it for centuries. Therefore, antibiotics are the only effective way to treat patients.

When syphilis is detected, all sexual partners of the infected are also treated.

– Of course, today this disease is diagnosed less frequently, – says dermatovenerologist Azamat Kintaev. – The venereologists themselves explain this by the uncontrolled use of antibiotics in the treatment of other diseases, which muffles the manifestation of syphilis, but exacerbates its latent forms. In this case, syphilis can only be determined by a blood test, without any clinical manifestations of the disease. The increased awareness of people about the need for safe sex, in particular with the use of condoms, which prevents infection by many dangerous sexually transmitted infections, including syphilis, also serves to reduce the increase in the incidence.

Prevention of syphilis at home

These tips may already be on edge, but they work:

• avoid casual sex;
• use a condom (does not protect 100% since the foci of infection can be located on the oral mucosa or on other uncovered areas of the body).

The causative agent of syphilis is very sensitive to traditional antiseptics and soaps. Therefore, if the “casual relationship” did take place, the following procedures will help reduce the risk of infection:

• urinate;
• wash hands and external genitalia with soap;
• treat the genitals, pubis and thighs with miramistin or chlorhexidine or betadine.

Important! The described measures are effective no later than 2 hours after sexual contact!

What to do if there is a patient with syphilis at home:

• use separate utensils and personal hygiene products;
• avoid kissing at the contagious stage.

It is generally accepted that the saliva of patients with syphilis is contagious only if they have rashes on the mucous membrane of the mouth.

“If a person has contracted syphilis, he must observe strict hygiene: he must have separate dishes, a towel, manicure supplies, his toothbrush must be separate,” advises dermatovenerologist Azamat Kintaev.

Popular questions and answers

We asked questions about modern methods of treating syphilis, its prevention and possible complications dermatovenereologist Azamat Kintaev.