How long does it take to cure third-stage syphilis?

Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
Updated on September 04, 2024
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Third-stage syphilis is the most severe stage of the disease. It generally damages the nervous system and cardiovascular system of the human body, thus having a significant impact. There is no definite timeline for the cure of third-stage syphilis. The treatment of third-stage syphilis primarily involves controlling the condition with medication; there is still no specific method that can completely cure it thoroughly. Therefore, it is necessary to take medication for a long period. Currently, for treating third-stage syphilis, procaine penicillin is generally chosen for patients. In fact, procaine penicillin mainly helps effectively control the syphilis spirochete.

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Written by Qu Jing
Dermatology
1min 49sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of syphilis?

Syphilis is divided into acquired syphilis and congenital syphilis, which is transmitted via the fetus. Acquired syphilis, based on the duration of the disease and using two years as a boundary, is further divided into early-stage syphilis and late-stage syphilis. Early-stage syphilis, particularly primary syphilis, mainly presents symptoms such as a chancre and scleradenitis, generally without systemic symptoms. Secondary syphilis occurs when primary syphilis is untreated or not completely treated, allowing the virus to enter the bloodstream from the lymphatic system and spread throughout the body. This causes damages to the skin, mucous membranes, and systemically, known as secondary syphilis. It can manifest as various forms of syphilitic rash, some resembling papular rashes, others similar to dermatitis, eczema, flat lichen, urticaria, psoriasis, pustular disease, and others. Some secondary syphilitic rashes are similar to flat genital warts, and sometimes syphilis can lead to alopecia. Syphilis can also affect mucous membranes, appearing in the mouth, tongue, pharynx, larynx, and genital mucous membranes, characterized by one or more areas of distinct erythema, vesicles, erosion, covered with a grayish-white membrane, generally painless. Some syphilis cases might affect bones, causing damage to bones and joints. Latent syphilis presents no obvious symptoms, and late-stage syphilis might involve the cardiovascular and nervous systems.

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Written by Fu Ye Song
Hematology
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Can a routine blood test detect syphilis?

Syphilis is a contagious disease, and we cannot detect syphilis through routine blood tests, as these tests only measure elements such as the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in the blood. Since syphilis is caused by an infectious agent, it cannot be detected through routine blood tests. It can only be detected by checking for antibodies using methods like ELISA immunofluorescence. Therefore, routine blood tests cannot detect syphilis.

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Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
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Is third-stage syphilis contagious?

Third-stage syphilis is infectious, but its contagiousness is relatively weak compared to first-stage and second-stage syphilis. The titers detected in third-stage syphilis are usually lower, so its infectiousness is comparatively minor. However, third-stage syphilis still has the capability to infect others. Therefore, patients with third-stage syphilis must actively seek treatment and refrain from having sexual relations with others, while also enhancing their own immunity.

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Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
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Can third-stage syphilis be completely cured?

Whether tertiary syphilis can be completely cured depends on the specific conditions of different patients. If tertiary syphilis has not caused serious complications, then timely and standard syphilis treatment at this stage can potentially lead to a cure. However, if it has been a long time and the condition has been neglected, it might cause severe damage to tissue and organ functions and can be life-threatening. At this point, it cannot be completely cured; even using anti-inflammatory drugs to treat syphilis cannot reverse the complications and greatly affects the quality of life.

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Written by Huang Ling Juan
Dermatology
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Can syphilis patients have children?

Syphilis patients can have children. After regular treatment, syphilis patients can conceive and bear children normally. After being treated for syphilis, the RPR test can become negative, indicating that there are no live syphilis spirochetes in the body and no infectivity. At this point, pregnancy is not affected. Some pregnant women, after treatment, can block mother-to-child transmission and prevent the spread of syphilis, which is a systemic sexually transmitted disease caused by infection with the syphilis spirochete. If a woman infected with syphilis becomes pregnant without undergoing standard syphilis treatment, the syphilis spirochete can infect the fetus through the placenta, leading to fetal disease. Some may experience stillbirth, miscarriage, premature birth, or even the birth of a child with congenital syphilis. Therefore, it is recommended that syphilis patients undergo standard treatment to cure syphilis before becoming pregnant.