What are the signs of syphilis?
In men, the first sign of syphilis may be a sore on the penis. In women, the first sign may be a sore around or inside the vagina. You might not even notice the sore, because syphilis sores don’t hurt. The sores go away after 3 to 6 weeks. If you don’t treat syphilis early, it spreads from the sore into your blood. When syphilis gets into your blood, it can cause many problems. The most common sign is a rash. The rash appears 2 weeks to 2 months after the appearance of the sores, often on the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet. Other signs of syphilis include fever, sore throat and swollen lymph glands. After many years, people with syphilis who don’t get treatment may begin to have problems in their brain and spinal cord. Syphilis may damage the heart and other organs, too. Some people with syphilis don’t have any signs of infection. In other people, the signs may be very mild. They might not even know they have it. But even if they have no signs or the signs go away on their
