Posted on: Saturday, May 10, 2003

Know the signs, risks of syphilis and gonorrhea

 • Rise in STDs worries officials

Q: What are gonorrhea and syphilis?

A: Gonorrhea is a common sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae, a bacterium that can grow easily in mucous membranes of the body, including the female reproductive tract, the urethra (urine canal) in women and men, and in the mouth, throat and anus. Syphilis is an STD caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum.

Q: How do people get gonorrhea or syphilis?

A: Both infections are spread through vaginal, oral or anal sexual contact. Syphilis is passed through direct contact with a syphilis sore. Sores occur mainly on the external genitals, vagina, anus or in the rectum. Sores also can occur on the lips and in the mouth. Gonorrhea infection can spread to other unlikely parts of the body. For example, a person can get an eye infection after touching infected genitals and then the eyes.

Q: What are the symptoms?

A: In men, gonorrhea symptoms include a burning sensation when urinating and a yellowish white discharge from the penis. In women, the early symptoms are often mild or nonexistent. They can include a painful or burning sensation when urinating and a vaginal discharge that is yellow or occasionally bloody. Symptoms of rectal infection include discharge, anal itching, soreness, bleeding, and sometimes painful bowel movements. Infections in the throat cause few symptoms.

Syphilis has different stages of infection. The first symptoms can appear from 10 to 90 days after infection. The primary stage of syphilis is usually marked by the appearance of a single sore, but there may be multiple sores. The sore is usually firm, round, small and painless. It appears at the spot where syphilis entered the body. It lasts three to six weeks and will heal on its own. If adequate treatment is not administered, the infection progresses to the secondary stage, when one or more areas of the skin break into a rash that often appears as rough, red or reddish brown spots on the palms of the hands and on the soles of the feet. In addition to rashes, second-stage symptoms include fever, swollen lymph glands, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches, weight loss, muscle aches and fatigue. The latent (hidden) stage of syphilis begins when the secondary symptoms disappear. Although there are no symptoms, the infection remains in the body, and may begin to damage the internal organs, including the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints. This internal damage may show up many years later. Late-stage symptoms include not being able to coordinate muscle movements, paralysis, numbness, gradual blindness and dementia. This damage may be serious enough to cause death.

Q: Who is at risk for gonorrhea?

A: Any sexually active person can be infected with gonorrhea or syphilis. Nationally, the highest rates of gonorrhea infection are usually found in 15- to 19-year-old women and 20- to 24-year-old men. In 1999, syphilis occurred primarily in persons ages 20 to 39, and the reported rate in men was 1.5 times greater than the rate in women. The incidence of syphilis was highest in women age 20 to 29 years and in men 30 to 39.

Q: What is the treatment for gonorrhea or syphilis?

A: Many antibiotics can cure gonorrhea. A single dose of penicillin will cure a person who has had syphilis for less than a year. Larger doses are needed to cure someone who has had it for longer than a year. For people who are allergic to penicillin, other antibiotics are available.

Q: How can infection be prevented?

A: Practice sexual abstinence, or limit sexual contact to one uninfected partner. Otherwise, use latex condoms every time you have sex. Limit the number of sex partners, and do not go back and forth between partners. Condoms do not provide complete protection against syphilis because the sores can sometimes be on areas not covered by a condom. Because syphilis sores can be hidden, it may not be obvious that a sex partner has syphilis. Washing the genitals, urinating, or douching after sex does not prevent STDs, including syphilis.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention