Gastric syphilis is a rare presentation observed in 1% of cases and usually develops in secondary syphilis [1]. The most common symptoms are epigastric pain, fullness, nausea, vomiting, and weight loss [2].
The most common presenting symptoms were abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting with signs of syphilis present in five patients (71%).
Gastric involvement in syphilis is usually seen after secondary syphilis when the spirochetes spread via circulation. Although common symptoms of gastric syphilis are abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, bleeding, and weight loss, there are no specific symptoms.
About 15% to 30% of people infected with syphilis who don't get treatment will develop complications known as tertiary syphilis. In the late stage, the disease may damage the brain, nerves, eyes, heart, blood vessels, liver, bones and joints. These problems may occur many years after the original, untreated infection.
In patients with risk factors, syphilis infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of gastritis or hepatitis as delayed diagnosis and treatment can lead to complications such as acute liver failure or gastric ulceration.
Syphilis – A bacterial infection, syphilis contracted through anal intercourse may result in rectal pain, spasms during bowel movements, and sores or growths that can be unsightly and uncomfortable.
STIs, including syphilis and human immunodeficiency virus, may contribute to abdominal distention.
Tertiary Stage
Tertiary syphilis is very serious and would occur 10–30 years after your infection began. In tertiary syphilis, the disease damages your internal organs and can result in death. A healthcare provider can usually diagnose tertiary syphilis with the help of multiple tests.
In general, all the studies showed that syphilis was associated with an increased mortality rate of up to 20%, a loss of life expectancy at 12 years of follow-up in the Tuskegee study (Heller & Bruyere, 1946), and a probability of death as a result of syphilis of 17.1% for women and 8% for men after 40 years of ...
Syphilis stays in your body if it is not treated. It can damage your heart, brain, eyes, and other organs. This damage may not show up for many years and could kill you. You might also pass the disease on to other people.
Late stage syphilis can be cured but the damage done to the body is permanent. Syphilis can invade the nervous system at any stage of infection, and causes a wide range of symptoms, including headache, altered behavior, difficulty coordinating muscle movements, paralysis, sensory deficits, and dementia.
Syphilis can be transmitted at any time during the early stages of infection, treatment, and for as long as two weeks following the end of treatment.
These sores are usually (but not always) firm, round, and painless. Symptoms of secondary syphilis include skin rash, swollen lymph nodes, and fever. The signs and symptoms of primary and secondary syphilis can be mild, and they might not be noticed. During the latent stage, there are no signs or symptoms.
Syphilitic gastritis is one of the rare manifestations of syphilis that is not well recognised by physicians. The majority of patients affected by syphilitic gastritis lack other signs and symptoms of syphilis and no previous history of primary infection.
Abdominal Pain: A chlamydial or gonorrheal infection that has developed can cause abdominal pain. Pelvic Inflammatory Disease is caused by late-stage chlamydia and gonorrhea infecting the pelvis (PID).
The characteristic rash of secondary syphilis may appear as rough, red, or reddish brown spots both on the palms of the hands and the bottoms of the feet. However, rashes with a different appearance may occur on other parts of the body, sometimes resembling rashes caused by other diseases.
Individuals with meningeal syphilis can have headache, stiff neck, nausea, and vomiting. Sometimes there can also be loss of vision or hearing. Meningovascular syphilis causes the same symptoms as meningeal syphilis but affected individuals also have strokes.
Syphilitic chancres and mucous patches usually are painless, unless they become secondarily infected. Both of these lesions are highly infectious. The chancre begins as a round papule that erodes into a painless ulcer with a smooth grayish surface (see Figure 13-4). Size can range from a few millimeters to 2 to 3 cm.
But how common is syphilis? The answer is: relatively common. In fact, syphilis infections have been on the rise in the United States in recent years: while the reported incidence of primary and secondary syphilis stood at 2.12 per 100,000 in 2000, by 2017 this number had climbed to 9.5 cases per 100,000 [2].
In its initial infection stage, syphilis produces characteristic sores, known as chancres, that appear on the infected area. Chancres are typically painless, firm, and round, though they can pop open and appear wet. Most people typically only have one chancre at a time, but it's possible to have several sores [2].
A syphilis rash doesn't usually itch. People may mistake a syphilis rash for psoriasis, eczema or pityriasis rosea if they don't realize they have syphilis. While the rash often appears on the hands or feet, it can also appear on the torso, trunk or extremities.
Syphilis is a multisystem chronic infection caused by treponema pallidum. It can cause psychiatric disorders including depression, mania, psychosis, personality changes, delirium and dementia.
Painful urination can be a symptom of certain sexually transmitted infections, including chlamydia and gonorrhea, but it can also be a sign of a urinary tract infection. A health care provider can test you for both kinds of infections.
Health problems like cataracts, deafness, seizures, or death. Severe damage to bones, brain, lungs, liver, and other organs. How do I prevent getting syphilis? The only way to avoid getting syphilis is to not have vaginal, anal, or oral sex.