Definition
Syphilis is one of the sexually transmitted diseases: we are talking about an infectious disease caused by a spirochete (acquired syphilis). When syphilis occurs in pregnant women, the fetus can carry malformations of the skin, mucous membranes, eyes, liver, kidneys and CNS (congenital syphilis).
Causes
Beating Treponema pallidum is responsible for syphilis: the disease is transmitted through any form of unprotected sexual contact or transfusions of infected blood. The beat, passing past skin and mucous membranes, infects humans creating damage.
Symptoms
We distinguish 4 phases of syphilis, each of which is characterized by different symptoms:
- Primary syphilis (post-incubation: 3 weeks): appearance of painless wounds at the point of infection
- Secondary / disseminated syphilis (2 months): alopecia, rash, fever, enlarged lymph nodes, diffuse non-itchy red spots
- Latent syphilis: disappearance of symptoms → disease diagnosed only by serological test
- Symptomatic / tertiary late syphilis: cardiovascular, cutaneous, nervous and visceral manifestations. Serious cases: death.
Information on syphilis - drugs for the treatment of syphilis are not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking syphilis - drugs for the treatment of syphilis.
drugs
The drugs used for the treatment of syphilis are different depending on the degree of severity of the disease; moreover, it is good that also the sexual partner undergoes the pharmacological treatment, given that the infection takes place by sexual means. It is useful to remember that the sooner a drug treatment is undertaken, the faster the disease is eradicated.
- Penicillin G or benzylpenicillin (eg Benzil B, Benzil P) for primary and secondary syphilis, intramuscular administration of 2.4 million units of penicillin G, in a single dose is recommended. It is also recommended to undergo regular serological tests every 6 months for 2-3 years. For latent syphilis, take 2.4 million units of penicillin once a week for three weeks. Penicillin is the drug of choice for the treatment of syphilis.
- Procaine (eg Dentosedina, Procai C) useful for the treatment of congenital, primary, latent and secondary syphilis. Take 600, 000 units of medication per day intramuscularly, for 10-15 days (for a total of 6-9 million active units) for the treatment of tertiary syphilis. Reduce the duration of therapy to 8 days in the case of latent syphilis. For other forms of syphilis, take intramuscularly 600, 000 units a day for up to 8 days (for a total of 4, 800, 000 units). Repeat blood tests frequently every 6 months for 2-3 years after symptom remission.
- Doxycycline (eg Doxicicl, Periostat, Miraclin, Bassado) it is recommended to take 100-150 mg of drug (class: tetracycline) by mouth, once a day for 14 days (or 28 days, depending on the severity of primary syphilis ). In the case of tertiary or latent syphilis, the therapy should be continued for 28 days, taking 100-150 mg of drug twice a day. The partner must also undergo therapy (duration: 14 days).
- Erythromycin (eg Erythrocin, Erythro L, Lauromycin). The drug is an antibiotic belonging to the class of macrolides, indicated for the treatment of primary syphilis. Take 250-500 mg of the drug every 6 hours, orally. In case of severe infection, take 1-4 g per day of active intravenously, in divided doses every 6 hours, by continuous infusion. Generally, the therapy should be continued for 14 days. Erythromycin is usually used as an alternative to doxycycline.
- Ceftriaxone (eg Ceftriaxone, Pantoxon, Ragex, Deixim) take 1 gram of drug intravenously or intramuscularly every 24 hours for 10-14 days. Indicated for the treatment of primary syphilis.
- Tetracycline (eg Tetrac C, Pensulvit, Ambramycin) for the treatment of primary syphilis, it is recommended to take the drug at a dose of 500 mg per os every 6 hours for 14 days. Alternatively, administer 30-40 mg of the substance, dividing the drug in several doses over a period of 10-15 days. For latent syphilis, the indicated dosage is 500 mg orally every 6 hours for 28 days, or 30-40 mg divided into several doses for a period of 10-15 days. For tertiary syphilis, take 500 mg three times a day for 28 days. Tetracycline is used when penicillin cannot be taken by that patient (eg hypersensitivity / allergy to the drug).
However, penicillin G remains the drug of choice for the treatment of syphilis.
Prevention of syphilis
Since there is no vaccine for syphilis, it is good to refrain from unprotected sexual intercourse with subjects at risk; otherwise, regularly carry out blood tests, in addition to alerting all persons with whom you have consumed risky reports, up to a year before the onset of syphilis symptoms.
