Syphilis Rates On the Rise After Years of Decline

Syphilis is one of those diseases that has been around for centuries, but had been brought under control recently, with rates declining in the U.S. A recent article on Medscape notes that infection rates in America have been on the rise in the U.S. and in other parts of the world.

While HIV/AIDS usually gets most of the coverage when the press covers sexually transmitted diseases, syphilis is a potentially deadly disease that can have many devastating effects on the sufferer. Not helping matters is the fact that the signs of syphilis mimic those of many other skin disorders.

And speaking of HIV/AIDS, when that illness co-occurs with syphilis the symptoms and treatment can become even more complex. You can find out a lot more about syphilis at Medline's Web site.

Patients who have had syphilis for many years may develop neurosyphilis if their condition is untreated or is improperly or inadequately treated. Neurosyphilis is a life-threatening infection of the brain or spinal cord. Because neurosyphilis is characterized by an infection of the cerebrospinal fluid, diagnosis may be made by a lumbar puncture (spinal tap).

See Medline's article on neurosyphilis for more information on this disorder.