Understanding gonorrhea and syphilis

Symptoms and complications of gonorrhea

About 80% of infected men may have subjective symptoms. Symptoms can take two to seven days to appear, including pus discharged from the urethra, a burning, stinging sensation when urinating. If not treated properly, chronic inflammation of urinary-tract, epididymitis, prostatitis may develop, which may lead to obstruction of ductus deferens, asthenozoospermia, and infertility.

About 80% of infected women are not with obvious subjective symptoms. Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the gonorrhea bacterium, may invade the uterus in about 20% of infected women and lead to endometritis, salpingitis, pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), or even infertility.

Gonorrhea may cause pathological changes in eyes, heart, pelvic cavity, and joints.

Symptoms and complications of syphilis
Once infected with syphilis, three stages can be classified in terms of symptoms.

Primary Stage:
The time between infection and first symptom ranges from ten to ninety days (average three weeks). The primary stage is marked by emergence of painless sores (firm chancre) appearing at the spot where syphilis entered the body. Serological tests may indicate negative during this stage.

Secondary Stage:
Secondary stage is characterized by the appearance of skin rashes, swollen lymph glands at the groin, fever, fatigue, and patchy hair loss. Serological tests indicate positive during this stage. Syphilis of the primary and secondary stage exhibit the strongest communicability.

Late Stage:
During the late stage, syphilis may damage internal organs including nerves, heart, blood vessels, brain, bones, and joints. When it becomes more severe, paralysis, mentally derangement, or even death may be caused.

Latent syphilis
Some of the infected persons may not have clinical symptoms. Latent syphilis can only be identified by blood tests.

Prevention
To avoid have sex with sex workers. The more sex partners one has, the more risky one may get infected with syphilis. Correct use of condoms during the whole intercourse will reduce the risk.

In order to prevent syphilis and AIDS, the ones with risky sexual behavior shall receive blood test at least once a year, while pregnant women shall have blood tests during the first three months of pregnancy.