Medieval STI that triggers brain damage and hair loss infects people’s eyes in worrying new outbreak
A WORRYING cluster of syphilis cases in patients' eyes has been reported in the US.
Five women from southwest Michigan contracted the sexually transmitted infection after sleeping with the same man.
Experts fear it could mean a new strain of the syphilis bacterium has evolved.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report said: "A cluster of five cases of ocular syphilis in women with a common male sex partner was identified in Michigan, suggesting that an unidentified Treponema pallidum strain might have been a risk factor for developing systemic manifestations of syphilis."
Syphilis spreads via direct skin-to-skin contact, according to the NHS.
The most common way to catch it is through unprotected vaginal, anal or oral sex with someone who is infected.
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But it can also be passed on to an unborn baby during pregnancy, by injecting drugs with an infected needle, or during a blood or organ transplant.
It was rife during medieval times, sweeping across Europe until an epidemic in the 1490s.
It remained a significant medical problem until the mid-20th century, but syphilis cases reduced dramatically as treatments improved.
Cases have increased in the last few years, with the World Health Organization estimating that 7.1million adults aged 15 to 49 acquired it globally in 2020.
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While easy to treat if caught early (when symptoms may present as sores, warts, rashes, hair loss and headaches), it can be hugely damaging in the long-term.
Experts say untreated syphilis can cause heart failure, seizures, memory difficulties, personality changes, and dementia.
In rare cases that affect the eyes, it can also result in cataracts, swelling and blindness.
The five women, aged 40 to 60, in the latest group of cases reported eye trouble between March and July 2022.
The five most common symptoms of ocular syphilis are: pain, redness, floating spots, sensitivity to light, and blurred or loss of vision.
An investigation revealed they had all had sexual relations with the same man, who sought medical attention for ulcers and lesions in January that year.
Doctors assumed he had herpes, so he was not tested for syphilis.
Later tests, carried out four months later, revealed he had early latent syphilis - a hidden stage of the disease that occurs when symptoms appear to resolve.
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All the patients were treated with antibiotics.
The CDC urged anyone with symptoms to see a doctor as soon as possible.
Symptoms of syphilis and its stages
THE symptoms of syphilis are often mild, making them difficult to spot.
They also tend to change over time, and come and go, so it is easy to presume you aren't infected, even when you are.
The most common symptoms of the infection include:
- Small sores (ulcers) on your penis, vagina, or around your bottom (anus) – these are usually painless and you may only have one of them
- Sores in other areas, including in your mouth or on your lips, hands or bottom
- White or grey warty growths most commonly on your penis, vagina or around your anus
- A rash on the palms of your hands and soles of your feet that can sometimes spread all over your body – this is not usually itchy
- White patches in your mouth
- Flu-like symptoms, such as a high temperature, headaches and tiredness
- Swollen glands
- Patchy hair loss on the head, beard and eyebrows
These signs may not appear until three weeks (or more) after you're infected.
Sometimes the symptoms can improve or go away completely, but if you have not been treated the infection is still in your body.
This means you can still pass it on and you're at risk of getting serious problems later on.
Potential complications include:
- Heart problems like angina, aortic aneurysm and heart failure
- Brain problems like fits (seizures), memory problems, personality changes and dementia
- Nerve problems like shooting pains, pins and needles, joint pain and gradual damage the joints
- Problems with the skin, bones, testicles, liver and any other organ
Syphilis tends to happen in stages.
- Primary stage - between two to 12 weeks after exposure (patients develops painless sores on the genitals that might heal on their own)
- Secondary stage - between one to six months after the primary stage (patients may develop itchy rashes on the skin)
- Latent stage (patients show no signs but remain infectious)
- Tertiary stage (patients may develop complications)
Source: NHS and WHO