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Syphilis symptoms - please help
Dear Doctor,
I wrote in this forum before due to several symptoms me and my partner experience and I got very helpful responses from you (I cannot thank you enough for that).
I rested assured for a while but now as the symptoms remain and I keep reading information about STDs, syphilis in particular, which resemble a lot to what my partner has experienced, I am again deadly worried.
To summarize he has had a rash with different appearance on several areas of the body, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches and fatigue.
It all started with several raised bumps around the anus which broke open and wept. When that cleared he had raised bumps under the armpits and flat red/brownish spots all around his back.
The symptom that scared me the most was that subsequently he lost a lot of hair – in patches!! He has always been a very healthy man and I am 100% sure this was not a common alopecia episode.
I have read syphilis can give the exact same symptoms and that these skin rashes are called papules. I could not help looking at pictures on the web and the similarity of his with those tagged as syphilis rashes are devastating.
This started a bit longer than 2 years ago. We live in Europe and I have read syphilis here is more common than in the States. We have been together and apart for a while and I cannot rule out a sporadic encounter.
I have been investigating about non-treponemal and treponemal test and the inaccuracy of both and how different syphilis stages require different test to be done.
We both had the VDRL test done a year ago and came back negative. I am always on antibiotics due to other infections and I would not be surprised if that cleared me out and I am worried that his test was a false negative.
Could you please help? What test would you suggest at this stage of the disease? Is there anything at all that would be 100% reliable? From what I have read so far there is nothing like that. Would the white cell count be altered if he has syphilis? Is that worth a try? We are planning on children now but anxiety is creeping over me and cannot move one with my life with this worry.
Thank you in advance for your answer. Very much looking forward to read from you
This discussion is related to Multiple symptoms during 2 years.
I wrote in this forum before due to several symptoms me and my partner experience and I got very helpful responses from you (I cannot thank you enough for that).
I rested assured for a while but now as the symptoms remain and I keep reading information about STDs, syphilis in particular, which resemble a lot to what my partner has experienced, I am again deadly worried.
To summarize he has had a rash with different appearance on several areas of the body, sore throat, patchy hair loss, headaches and fatigue.
It all started with several raised bumps around the anus which broke open and wept. When that cleared he had raised bumps under the armpits and flat red/brownish spots all around his back.
The symptom that scared me the most was that subsequently he lost a lot of hair – in patches!! He has always been a very healthy man and I am 100% sure this was not a common alopecia episode.
I have read syphilis can give the exact same symptoms and that these skin rashes are called papules. I could not help looking at pictures on the web and the similarity of his with those tagged as syphilis rashes are devastating.
This started a bit longer than 2 years ago. We live in Europe and I have read syphilis here is more common than in the States. We have been together and apart for a while and I cannot rule out a sporadic encounter.
I have been investigating about non-treponemal and treponemal test and the inaccuracy of both and how different syphilis stages require different test to be done.
We both had the VDRL test done a year ago and came back negative. I am always on antibiotics due to other infections and I would not be surprised if that cleared me out and I am worried that his test was a false negative.
Could you please help? What test would you suggest at this stage of the disease? Is there anything at all that would be 100% reliable? From what I have read so far there is nothing like that. Would the white cell count be altered if he has syphilis? Is that worth a try? We are planning on children now but anxiety is creeping over me and cannot move one with my life with this worry.
Thank you in advance for your answer. Very much looking forward to read from you
This discussion is related to Multiple symptoms during 2 years.
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Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
STIs are the most common cause of genital sores.
Millions of people are diagnosed with STDs in the U.S. each year.
STDs can't be transmitted by casual contact, like hugging or touching.
Syphilis is an STD that is transmitted by oral, genital and anal sex.
