National Institutes of Health
- The primary NIH organization for research on Syphilis is the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
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National Institutes of Health
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by bacteria. It infects the genital area, lips, mouth, or anus of both men and women. You usually get syphilis from sexual contact with someone who has it. It can also pass from mother to baby during pregnancy.
The early stage of syphilis usually causes a single, small, painless sore. Sometimes it causes swelling in nearby lymph nodes. If you do not treat it, syphilis usually causes a non-itchy skin rash, often on your hands and feet. Many people do not notice symptoms for years. Symptoms can go away and come back.
The sores caused by syphilis make it easier to get or give someone HIV during sex. If you are pregnant, syphilis can cause birth defects, or you could lose your baby. In rare cases, syphilis causes serious health problems and even death.
Syphilis is easy to cure with antibiotics if you catch it early. Correct usage of latex condoms greatly reduces, but does not completely eliminate, the risk of catching or spreading syphilis.
NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
The top row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Basics
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Learn More
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Multimedia & Cool Tools
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For group Basics
For group Learn More
For group Multimedia & Cool Tools
The bottom row in the table of contents box contains the following groups:
Research
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Reference Shelf
, and
For You
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For group Research
For group Reference Shelf
For group For You
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Overviews
- Syphilis(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
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Diagnosis/Symptoms
- Syphilis Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
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Treatment
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Syphilis: Treatment(National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases)
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Syphilis: Treatment
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Prevention/Screening
- Condoms(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)
- Return to top
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Specific Conditions
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Tabes Dorsalis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Short Summary
- Return to top
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Tabes Dorsalis
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Related Issues
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Neurosyphilis(National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke)
- Short Summary
- Return to top
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Neurosyphilis
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Pictures & Photographs
- Primary Syphilis(Logical Images)
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Clinical Trials
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Syphilis(National Institutes of Health)
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Syphilis
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Journal Articles
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
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Organizations
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Law and Policy
- National Plan to Eliminate Syphilis from the United States: Executive Summary(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Statistics
- NCHHSTP Atlas(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Sexually Transmitted Disease Surveillance, 2010: Syphilis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
- Syphilis Profiles, 2010(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
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Children
- Syphilis(American Academy of Pediatrics)
- Syphilis(Nemours Foundation)
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Teenagers
- Syphilis(Children's Hospital Boston)
- Syphilis(Nemours Foundation)
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Men
- Syphilis & MSM (Men Who Have Sex with Men)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
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Women
- Pregnancy Complications: Syphilis(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation)
- Also available in Spanish
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Patient Handouts
- Congenital syphilis
- Also available in Spanish
- Neurosyphilis
- Also available in Spanish
- Syphilis(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Syphilis & MSM (Men Who Have Sex with Men)(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - PDF
- Also available in Spanish
- Syphilis - primary
- Also available in Spanish
- Syphilitic aseptic meningitis
- Also available in Spanish
- Syphilitic myelopathy
- Also available in Spanish
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You may also be interested in these related encyclopedia pages:
MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA
Syphilis - Multiple Languages
