Recently, Medlatec General Hospital received a 25-year-old male patient who came for examination with swelling, rash in the genital area, and swollen inguinal lymph nodes. Through medical history, the patient said that he only had monogamous sexual relations with one partner. However, the patient had a girlfriend who was being treated for genital syphilis according to the regimen. Despite being advised by the doctor, the couple continued to have unprotected sex.
At the hospital, the patient was ordered by the doctor to perform tests for 4 sexually transmitted agents, the results did not detect any abnormalities. Suspecting that the symptoms were related to syphilis, the patient was tested for TPHA and RPR to diagnose syphilis, the results were both recorded as positive.
Dr. Ngo Chi Cuong - Deputy Director of Medlatec General Hospital; Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases & Tropical Medicine - said: "The doctor was not surprised by the test results received, because the patient had a history of unprotected sex with a partner with syphilis who was being treated. Syphilis bacteria spread quickly, so if you are subjective, you can easily get infected."
Through the case, the doctor advised the public: "Having sex without using protection not only increases the risk of unwanted pregnancy, but is also the fastest way for sexually transmitted agents to enter the body and cause disease."
Currently, after continuing treatment according to the regimen, the patient is responding well to treatment.
Difficult to detect sexually transmitted diseases in the early stages
Sexually transmitted infections have varying incubation periods from when the agent enters the body, until symptoms appear.
Some incubation periods last only a few days, while others can last weeks, or months.
Syphilis, like other sexually transmitted diseases (STIs) in general such as gonorrhea, genital herpes, genital warts, HIV... in the early stages often have no obvious symptoms. This makes it difficult for people to recognize and go to medical facilities for timely examination.
Doctors recommend that people should have a healthy sex life, have a monogamous relationship and use safe measures to prevent unwanted infectious diseases. In addition, even if there are no symptoms, any person who is sexually active should have a habit of regular screening for sexually transmitted diseases.
Many people are afraid and tend to delay examination for sexually transmitted diseases, however this is the reason why the disease silently progresses and spreads widely in the community.
Therefore, if people see any unusual signs in the genital area such as inflammation, swelling, pain, itching, burning urination... they should go to a reputable medical facility for timely diagnosis and treatment.
