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- $Unique_ID{BRK00867}
- $Pretitle{}
- $Title{Is Syphilis Still Considered a Dangerous Disease?}
- $Subject{syphilis chancre STD Infections infection Genitourinary lifestyle
- lifestyles sexually transmitted disease venereal diseases vd congenital uterus
- sexual activity loss hair genital sores genitals mouth fever sore throat
- headache antibiotics headaches}
- $Volume{J-23}
- $Log{
- Sexually Transmitted Disease: Syphilis*0006402.scf}
-
- Copyright (c) 1991-92,1993 Tribune Media Services, Inc.
-
-
- Is Syphilis Still Considered a Dangerous Disease?
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-
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-
- QUESTION: With all the new developments in medicine, is syphilis still
- considered a dangerous disease? There doesn't seem to be much written about
- it these days.
-
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
- ANSWER: Yes, syphilis is a very serious sexually transmitted disease still
- raging throughout the world.
- Although the overall incidence of syphilis remained relatively stable
- during recent years, cases of congenital syphilis (meaning a condition
- acquired during a baby's development in the uterus, not through heredity)
- increased by 77 percent between 1983 and 1985. When pregnant women with
- syphilis give birth, their babies almost always suffer from the disease. Most
- commonly found in cities, syphilis attacks about 90,000 Americans annually.
- Syphilis occurs most frequently in men and women between 20 and 29 years old,
- with about three times more males than females suffering from it. It is most
- prevalent among the poorly educated and economically deprived. There are many
- different effects from syphilis and most of them depend on how long a person
- has had it.
- After exposure (yes, always from sexual contact), about 10 to 90 days
- will pass before a "chancre" (often a single, visible, painless "sore")
- develops on the part of the body involved in the sexual activity when the
- disease was spread. That is called primary syphilis.
- If medical treatment is not begun, increasingly serious results from the
- disease will bring about loss of hair, sores on the genitals and mouth, fever,
- sore throat, headache and pain in the bones. Other, even more serious stages
- can develop later which lead to death unless medical treatment is successful.
- Fortunately, syphilis can be treated and usually cured using modern
- antibiotics. But like all diseases, the quicker treatment is begun the
- quicker a cure can be expected. If you think you have been exposed to
- syphilis, see a doctor IMMEDIATELY, you have little time to waste.
-
- ----------------
-
- The material contained here is "FOR INFORMATION ONLY" and should not replace
- the counsel and advice of your personal physician. Promptly consulting your
- doctor is the best path to a quick and successful resolution of any medical
- problem.
-
-