Paper Example on Syphilis: An STD Caused by Treponema Pallidum

A disease is an abnormal condition that affects the body negatively. It is not attributed to immediate external injury to the body. Diseases affect the functioning of a part of an organism, and it is determined through signs and symptoms. The paper focuses on syphilis as a disease.

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Syphilis is an STD which is caused by coming into conduct with bacteria called Treponema pallidum. Since it is a sexually transmitted disease, it can be spread through sexual contact and infected mother to a fetus at birth or during pregnancy (Nyatsanza & Tipple, 2016). Syphilis has different signs and symptoms, depending on the stage of the patient.

In the primary stage, a person knows he/ she has signs of syphilis since small sore called chancre develops at the point on the body where the bacteria entered the body. The signs of the secondary stage include rashes on palms or soles of hand and feet, respectively. The itchiness of the rash decreases as the stage progresses. When syphilis infection is latent, one might not develop any signs or symptoms for several months (Nyatsanza & Tipple, 2016). It is the late stage, and it is encompassed with serious health problems. One can be blind, paralyzed or develop tumours. Syphilis can damage ones nervous system, and it can kill.

Syphilis affects the body through damaging organs if it is not treated. The bacteria Treponema pallidum enters a patient’s body via mucous membranes or through cut skin. Once it is inside the body, it enters the bloodstream and attaches itself on cells. Then, the bacteria starts damaging the cells, and with time, it damages major body organs (Nyatsanza & Tipple, 2016). One is determined to have syphilis by testing blood samples. Testing blood samples aims at detecting the presence of antibodies produced by the body as it fights the infection. Since the syphilis antibodies remain for years, the test is used to determine syphilis infection.

Syphilis is prevalent among the men. According to Weathers 2019, it’s more prevalent on men aged 20-24 years. The report confirmed that 35.7 cases of a population of 100,000 people were men. From the report, 5.1 cases of a total of the 100,000 people were the women. Most of the men who had contracted the disease were men who have sex with fellow men. From the report, the men who have sex with women had 12% of the overall 35.7 cases (Weathers et al., 2019).

Also, from Weather’s report in 2019, it is prevalent on some ethnic groups. The report confirmed that syphilis was dominant among the Asians than the whites. The study recorded that 4.4 syphilis cases per 100,000 population was made up of the Asians. It was 0.8 times the rate recorded by the whites. Also, the report stated that syphilis cases among Asian women were 0.3 times those of white women. Additionally, that of Asian men was 0.9 times the rate that the white men contracted the disease (Weathers et al., 2019).

Even though there are no OTC drugs to remedy the disease, it can still be treated and cured at its early stages. Syphilis is treated by giving a patient an injection of 2.4 million units of Benzathine penicillin G in intramuscular (Weathers et al., 2019). As stated above, once the disease is not treated, and one reaches the latent stage, one can succumb to death.One can be prevented from contracting the disease in several ways. Since syphilis is mostly spread through sexual contact, abstaining from sex or staying monogamous is among the effective ways of prevention. Also, one is advised to use a condom during sexual intercourse. Condoms help to cover the syphilis sores, which are the spreading factors. Also, one should avoid using recreational drugs (Weathers et al., 2019). They make one to be reckless and can lead them to engage in lousy behaviors, especially sexual activities. All partners should visit a hospital and get tested of syphilis. To prevent spreading syphilis, one should not engage in sex before their partners have been treated and cured.

References

Nyatsanza, F., & Tipple, C. (2016). Syphilis: presentations in general medicine. Clinical Medicine, 16(2), 184. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4952975/

Weathers, E. N., Waller, J. L., Nahman, N. S., Colombo, R. E., Kheda, M. F., & Baer, S. L. (2019). Incidence, risk factors and distribution of syphilis in the end-stage renal disease population in the USA. Clinical Kidney Journal. https://academic.oup.com/ckj/article-abstract/doi/10.1093/ckj/sfz090/5550808