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Syphilis - secondary

Alternative Names:

Secondary syphilis

Treatment:

Antibiotics are used to treat syphilis. The antibiotic of choice is penicillin, yet doxycycline may be used as an alternative in individuals with a penicillin allergy.

You must have follow-up blood tests at 3 and 6 months (and later if needed) to make sure the infection is gone. You should avoid sexual conduct until two follow-up tests show that the infection has been cured. Syphilis is extremely contagious in the primary and secondary stages.

Several hours after treatment, some people have a reaction called Jarish-Herxheimer reaction. Symptoms of this reaction include:

These symptoms usually disappear within 24 hours.

Syphilis is a reportable infection -- that means that doctors must reported any cases of syphilis to public health authorities, so that potentially infected sexual partners may be identified and treated.

Expectations (prognosis):

Secondary syphilis can be completely cured if diagnosed early and treated effectively. While it usually goes away within weeks, in some cases it may last up to 1 year. Without treatment, up to one-third of patients will develop late complications of syphilis.

Complications:

The complications of syphilis are related to the development of the syndromes associated with tertiary syphilis:

In addition, untreated secondary syphilis during pregnancy may spread the disease to the developing baby. This is called congenital syphilis.

Calling your health care provider:

Notify your health care provider if you develop signs or symptoms of syphilis. Several conditions may have similar symptoms, so you will need to have a complete medical exam.

Also call your health care provider for an appointment if you have had sexual contact with someone who has syphilis.

References:

Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases . 6th ed. London: Churchill Livingstone; 2005:2274-2276.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. Screening for Syphilis Infection: Recommendation Statement. Ann Fam Med 2004; 2: 362-365.

Syphilis, secondary on the palms

Syphilis, secondary on the palms

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