Syphilis Flashcards
What is syphilis caused by?
a bacteria called Treponema pallidum
What type of bacteria is Treponema pallidum and how does it enter the body?
This bacteria is a spirochete, a type of spiral-shaped bacteria.
The bacteria gets in through skin or mucous membranes, replicates and then disseminates throughout the body.
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted condition. true/false?
True
Syphilis is mainly sexually transmitted
Routes of transmission for syphilis?
Oral, vaginal or anal sex involving direct contact with an infected area
Vertical transmission from mother to baby during pregnancy
Intravenous drug use
Blood transfusions and other transplants (although this is rare due to screening of blood products)
Stages of syphilis?
Primary syphilis
Secondary syphilis
Latent syphilis
Tertiary syphilis
Neurosyphilis
Description of primary syphilis?
involves a painless ulcer called a chancre at the original site of infection (usually on the genitals).
Description of secondary syphilis?
involves systemic symptoms, particularly of the skin and mucous membranes.
These symptoms can resolve after 3 – 12 weeks and the patient can enter the latent stage.
Description of latent syphilis?
occurs after the secondary stage of syphilis, where symptoms disappear and the patient becomes asymptomatic despite still being infected.
Early latent syphilis occurs within two years of the initial infection.
Late latent syphilis occurs from two years after the initial infection onwards.
Description of tertiary syphilis?
can occur many years after the initial infection and affect many organs of the body, particularly with the development of gummas and cardiovascular and neurological complications.
Description of neurosyphilis?
occurs if the infection involves the central nervous system, presenting with neurological symptoms.
Clinical presentation of primary syphilis?
A painless genital ulcer (chancre). This tends to resolve over 3 – 8 weeks.
Local lymphadenopathy
Clinical presentation of secondary syphilis?
typically starts after the chancre has healed, with symptoms of:
Maculopapular rash
Condylomata lata (grey wart-like lesions around the genitals and anus)
Low-grade fever
Lymphadenopathy
Alopecia (localised hair loss)
Oral lesions
Clinical presentation of tertiary syphilis?
Gummatous lesions (gummas are granulomatous lesions that can affect the skin, organs and bones)
Aortic aneurysms
Neurosyphilis
Clinical presentation of neurosyphilis?
can occur at any stage if the infection reaches the central nervous system, and present with symptoms of:
Headache
Altered behaviour
Dementia
Tabes dorsalis (demyelination affecting the spinal cord posterior columns)
Ocular syphilis (affecting the eyes)
Paralysis
Sensory impairment
What is “Argyll-robertson pupil”?
a specific finding in neurosyphilis.
It is a constricted pupil that accommodates when focusing on a near object but does not react to light. They are often irregularly shaped. It is commonly called a “prostitutes pupil” due to the relation to neurosyphilis and because “it accommodates but does not react“.
