How long does syphilis incubate?

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Syphilis is one of the sexually transmitted diseases that threaten the health and life of the infected person. In addition to damage to internal organs such as liver, heart... Syphilis spirochetes adversely affect the skin, mucous membranes, eyes, causing paralysis of the whole body.

1. What is syphilis?

Syphilis is an infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum. Syphilis spirochetes are often found in many lesions such as mucosal plaques, lymph nodes.... So the disease is very contagious. The most contagious disease is the incubation period when the skin and mucosal lesions contain many spirochetes of syphilis.
The routes of transmission of syphilis include:
The disease is mainly transmitted through unprotected sex. The spirochetes that penetrate through the mucous membranes of the genitals that are scratched during sexual intercourse will cause local disease, then enter the bloodstream and spread throughout the body. Syphilis can be transmitted by blood transfusion. For pregnant women, spirochetes can be transmitted from mother to baby during the 4th month of pregnancy, because Treponema pallidum enters the fetal blood through the umbilical cord. As a result, stillbirth or giving birth to a skinny baby, wrinkly skin like an old man, big belly, enlarged liver and spleen, etc. The risk of syphilis is higher if you are infected with HIV. Once infected with syphilis does not make the body immune to the disease and the person can still get the disease again. Syphilis can be transmitted during the first two stages of the disease.

2. How long does syphilis incubate?

Many people wonder how long it takes for syphilis to appear as well as the issues surrounding syphilis about the time of manifestation of each different stage.
Accordingly, syphilis goes through 4 stages of development, most patients infected with syphilis spirochetes are not detected because the incubation period of syphilis is quite long. Patients can be infected with this disease through unprotected sex or direct contact with mucosal lesions, lymph nodes... with infected people.
How long does syphilis incubate? The incubation period for syphilis usually lasts about 3 to 4 weeks. This is an important stage for the best detection and treatment of the disease.
When infected, syphilis will begin to show symptoms of chancres and lymph nodes. The early stage syphilis chancre is a shallow slick, round or oval, without high ridges, about 0.5 - 2cm in size, the bottom is red like fresh meat, the base is hard and the squeeze is painless.
The most common early stage syphilis is in the genital mucosa. Symptoms of syphilis in women will be common in the labia majora, labia minora and vulva. As for men, it is often seen on the glans, flute, scrotum, penis... Besides, early stage syphilis can also appear in the mouth, lips, tongue... of the patient. The lymph nodes will appear 5 to 6 days after the swelling, the inguinal lymph nodes will be enlarged.
After the incubation period, the person may develop a rash. The rash begins on the trunk and gradually covers the entire body, even the palms and soles of the feet. This rash is usually not itchy and may be accompanied by blisters in the mouth or genital area. You may feel sick and have mild flu-like symptoms, feel tired, sore throat, swollen glands, headache, muscle aches, or hair loss. Syphilis symptoms at this stage can last from 2 to 6 weeks and possibly up to 2 years.
About 5 to 15 years later, syphilis symptoms include heart and brain damage, memory problems, paralysis, and balance problems.
Note: In some people, a stage called latent syphilis when no symptoms are present. However, if not diagnosed and treated, syphilis will progress to a very dangerous stage.

3. Syphilis treatment and prevention

3.1. Treatment of syphilis

To treat syphilis, your doctor will use the right antibiotic treatment. Depending on the stage, the doctor will apply different treatment methods:
Stage one of syphilis is easiest to treat and is treated with injections or oral antibiotics. If you are in stages 2 and 3, you need to take antibiotics for a longer time. Doctors regularly test blood during treatment to make sure that the disease is completely cured.

3.2 Prevention of syphilis

Everyone can control and prevent syphilis by taking note of the following:
The best way to prevent syphilis is to practice safe sex. For groups at high risk of infection, they should go to the hospital to screen for syphilis and venereal disease. Do not stop taking your medicine or change your dose on your own, even if you feel better, until your doctor tells you to. Tell your doctor if you suspect you have syphilis if you are pregnant. The transmission of syphilis to the unborn baby is very dangerous. Maintain cleanliness and hygiene regularly to avoid the transmission of diseases. Use safe sex methods such as condoms; build a healthy lifestyle, being faithful to one wife and one husband. Tell your sex partner about syphilis treatment so they can get tested. Avoid sex for at least 2 weeks after treatment or until your doctor tells you to. Screening for social diseases aims at early detection to have effective treatment and avoid complications. Vinmec International General Hospital offers a package of Examination and Screening for social diseases to help customers detect diseases early and have effective treatment and prevent dangerous complications. The screening package for social diseases at Vinmec is for all ages, both men and women.

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