Treatment of syphilis in women during pregnancy
Syphilis is considered to be the most serious sexually transmitted disease. Syphilis is especially dangerous and insidious in women who notice the disease only in the later stages. Since the consequences of congenital syphilis in children can be very severe (if the child does not die in the last months of pregnancy or immediately after birth, he or she develops lesions of the internal organs and skin), pregnant women must be tested for syphilis when registering for antenatal care.
The causative agent of the disease is a pale treponema. Infection occurs through injured areas of the skin and mucous membranes, most often during sexual intercourse. Through microtraumas, the pathogen enters the bloodstream. In 3-4 weeks after the contact, a small ulcer - syphiloma - appears at the site of penetration. Syphilis in women is dangerous because syphilis is often located in the vagina or even on the cervix. It is painless, and therefore goes unnoticed for a long time. Without treatment, the disease progresses. We will describe below how household syphilis is transmitted and what the incubation period is, as well as the symptoms of the disease and the standard treatment regimen.
How primary and secondary syphilis manifests itself
Periods of syphilis course:
- incubation: from the moment of infection until the onset of visible signs of the disease. It lasts from two weeks to three months;
- Primary: from the time of the appearance of a hard chancre at the site of the pathogen's penetration. The first sign of syphilis in the early stages is a chancre. It looks like an erosion or ulcer of the color of red meat. Diagnosis of hard chancre in the mouth and lips is sometimes difficult due to its atypical shape. Within a week, the nearby lymph nodes become enlarged and swollen. After 2-3 weeks, all lymph nodes become enlarged, weakness and headache appear;
- secondary: a rash appears on the skin, which may disappear without treatment and then reappear. Types of rashes: nodular, vesicular, pustular. After 5-6 months, hair loss and nervous system damage are possible. Read more about how primary and secondary syphilis manifests itself on our website https://dobrobut.com/;
- tertiary: in the absence of treatment, it occurs in 3.5-4 years. Many tissues and organs are affected, including the spinal cord and brain.
- The first symptom of infection with genital syphilis in men is the appearance of a hard chancre (single or multiple). The ulcer (erosion) is usually localized in the genital area (most often on the penis).
How to take a blood test for latent syphilis
A syphilis test is mandatory for pregnant women, donors, certain categories of workers (medical staff, cooks), and patients before a planned operation. A positive syphilis test result does not always mean that a person has an STD. Tests can be false-positive in acute and chronic diseases, recent vaccination, and some other conditions. This is explained by the fact that the patient's blood contains immunoglobulins that are similar to anti-treponemal antibodies. Hence the false-positive result for syphilis. In such cases, to obtain reliable results, a repeat test is performed to determine the pathogen (treponema) in the biomaterial rather than antibodies.
However, it is impossible to determine latent syphilis or its late forms by direct methods, so in clinical practice they are used exclusively to confirm the diagnosis. How to take a blood test for latent syphilis? For this purpose, indirect methods are used, for example, the well-known RW (Wasserman reaction). However, more modern methods are now being used: the micro-precipitation reaction (MPR) and the RPR test (RPR).
Treatment of syphilis
With timely diagnosis and treatment at the first stage, recovery is possible within 2-3 weeks. If the disease is advanced, treatment can last for two years, so it is important to diagnose syphilis in a timely manner. Women should be especially attentive to their health. Syphilis often occurs in a latent form, and characteristic symptoms appear only in the later stages.
The main directions of drug therapy:
- antibiotics of the penicillin group;
- antihistamines
- vitamins;
- biostimulants.
Since the invention of penicillin, antibiotics of this group have been the drugs of choice. Highly active drugs include Bicillin-1, Retarpen, and Extencillin. In case of intolerance to this group of antibiotics, reserve group drugs are prescribed - tetracyclines and macrolides. Vitamins and biostimulants are prescribed to increase the body's defenses. It is necessary to take into account the possibility of developing vaginal candidiasis when using high doses of antibiotics. Women receive antifungal therapy in parallel. Nonspecific treatment (pyrotherapy, autohemotherapy) is indicated for malignant and relapsing course of the disease. Treatment of syphilis in women during pregnancy is carried out with penicillin drugs, which are relatively safe for both the mother and the unborn child.
Self-medication for syphilis is prohibited, as it can lead to the development of resistant forms of the pathogen. A timely visit to a dermatovenerologist and properly selected therapy can completely defeat the disease.
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