Can syphilis be completely cured?

Written by Luo Hong
Dermatology Department
Updated on March 26, 2025
00:00
00:00

Syphilis can generally be completely cured nowadays, except neurosyphilis which is somewhat harder to treat, as ordinary syphilis is curable and neurosyphilis may relapse occasionally. However, most current cases of syphilis fall into categories of latent, primary, or secondary syphilis. Tertiary syphilis is less common, and forms such as neurosyphilis and osteal syphilis belong to this stage. Therefore, when treated at a regular hospital with a standard treatment regimen, primarily using penicillin, administered as a long-acting intramuscular injection once a week, the recommended course of treatment usually consists of three to four weeks. If there is an allergy to penicillin, doxycycline can be used as an oral substitute for half a month.

Other Voices

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
37sec home-news-image

Does third-stage syphilis rash itch?

People with tertiary syphilis generally do not experience itching. Tertiary syphilis represents the later stages of the disease manifestation. Typically, the symptoms on the skin are neither painful nor itchy, which is the case for most individuals. However, some patients may feel differently from the majority, experiencing anomalies, or they might develop secondary conditions such as eczema or allergies, among others, possibly leading to mild itching and so on.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Zhu Zhu
Dermatology
37sec home-news-image

Does tertiary syphilis have titers?

If one is suffering from stage three syphilis, syphilis titers will be present. However, syphilis titers do not always correlate directly with the severity of the condition. It is possible for the titers in stage one and two syphilis to be higher than in stage three. It's often the case that stage three syphilis represents the late stages of the disease, and the titers might decrease as the disease progresses into these later stages. Examples include titers such as 1:8 or 1:4, although some patients might exhibit titers of 1:16.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Ye Xi Yong
Infectious Diseases
47sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of AIDS and syphilis?

AIDS and syphilis infections are both long-term processes. For example, a patient with primary syphilis mainly presents with a hard chancre. This can occur at locations such as the corona of the glans penis, the urinary meatus of the foreskin, the labia, the cervix, and also can be seen on the tongue, lips, breasts, and other places. At these locations, a hard chancre appears, which is painless and itchless, and presents as a round or oval, well-demarcated ulcer. The symptoms of AIDS are primarily seen in the early stages of the disease, and include fever, vomiting, fatigue, itchy skin, nodules, joint pain, and other symptoms of decreased immune function.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Fu Ye Song
Hematology
28sec home-news-image

Can a routine blood test detect syphilis?

Syphilis is a contagious disease, and we cannot detect syphilis through routine blood tests, as these tests only measure elements such as the number of white blood cells, red blood cells, and platelets in the blood. Since syphilis is caused by an infectious agent, it cannot be detected through routine blood tests. It can only be detected by checking for antibodies using methods like ELISA immunofluorescence. Therefore, routine blood tests cannot detect syphilis.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Cui Lin Jing
Dermatology
1min 4sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of tertiary syphilis?

Tertiary syphilis mainly occurs two to three years, or even five to ten years or longer, after infection. The primary skin manifestations are gummas, which often occur on the extensor side of the lower legs, and can present as ulcerations, erosions, nodules, and hyperplasia. It may also involve bones, joints, the heart, and blood vessels. The main manifestations include aortitis, aortic valve insufficiency, and aortic aneurysms. When the nervous system is involved, it can present as spinal tuberculosis and general paralysis, which are symptoms of paralytic dementia. The diagnosis of tertiary syphilis requires serological tests and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. The treatment involves primarily penicillin and benzathine penicillin, with erythromycin or tetracycline as alternatives for patients allergic to penicillin, and requires a longer course of treatment.