Wife and partner need to be tested
According to the Central Dermatology Hospital, recently, the Sexually Transmitted Infections Clinic (STIs Clinic), Central Dermatology Hospital, received a 54-year-old male patient for examination of a penile ulcer, suspected of having syphilis.
About 10 days before the visit, the patient had symptoms of burning and redness in the coronal sulcus of the penis. The lesion then progressed into an ulcer that gradually spread, accompanied by a fever of 39 degrees.
Three days after going to the doctor, the patient washed his genitals with iodine alcohol and applied medicine but the condition did not improve.
About 2 months after unsafe sex, the male patient had a penile ulcer and was diagnosed with syphilis.
At the hospital, through discussion with the patient and examination, the doctors found that the patient had a deep ulcer in the glans penis area, the ulcer base was hard, painless, not itchy, and had many inguinal lymph nodes on the right side, no skin lesions in other locations; there were no factors causing genital ulcers due to trauma or drug allergies.
The patient had unprotected sex 2 months before the appearance of genital lesions. Tests showed the patient was positive for syphilis.
According to Dr. Nguyen Thi Ha Vinh, STIs Clinic, this patient has stage 1 syphilis, primary syphilis, and is being treated with prescribed medication and scheduled for a follow-up appointment after one month.
Patients are also counseled about the risk of transmitting infection to sexual partners and advice on convincing their wives and sexual partners to come forward for testing.
"The Perfect Disguiser"
According to the Central Dermatology Hospital, syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the syphilis spirochete. The incidence of syphilis in the world in general and in Vietnam in particular is on the rise. This situation is related to the increase in the homosexual population and the trend of early, unsafe sex.
Syphilis has diverse and complex manifestations, not only in the skin and mucous membranes but also in other organs such as the ears, eyes, musculoskeletal system, cardiovascular system, and nervous system.
"Symptoms can progress and change in the same patient, and can be easily confused with other diseases. Therefore, syphilis is also known as the "perfect disguiser". In addition, there are cases of "hidden" syphilis, in which the patient has no clinical symptoms until tested," Dr. Vinh noted.
Therefore, people with a history of exposure, unsafe sex or suspected symptoms of sexually transmitted diseases should see a dermatologist for proper diagnosis and timely treatment.
There are many causes that can lead to genital ulcers, patients need to be examined carefully to diagnose the exact cause. Patients with genital skin lesions should not self-treat with topical or oral medications. Self-treatment with topical or oral medications without knowing the cause can change the initial symptoms, distort test results, leading to delays in proper diagnosis and treatment.
With syphilis, the patient's current and previous sexual partners should be examined, tested, and treated (if present). If the patient's sexual partners are not diagnosed and treated, the patient is at risk of re-infection with sexual contact, which is also a potential risk of spreading the disease in the community.
In the case of the male patient mentioned above, his wife and sexual partner have not come for syphilis screening tests as advised by the doctor.
Source link
Comment (0)