Safescreen Home Test Kits

Visiting a STi clinic or making an appointment to see a doctor about syphilis testing can take courage, and you may not want it to appear on your medical records.  A home Syphilis test is a simple, affordable and a private way to test for this potentially life threatening disease.

Like many STDs, the symptoms of syphilis can be confused with many other illnesses and often go unnoticed. Like other STD’s the symptoms of syphilis can be unintentionally ignored by an infected person leading to further transmission between partners, without knowing. If left undiagnosed and untreated, the disease attacks critical body systems which may leave the sufferer with brain damage, paralysis and can be fatal. Only by testing for a syphilis infection can a conclusion be achieved.  Please note that the later stages of syphilis have very prominent symptoms but may take up to 20 years to manifest. 

As with all STD’s, anyone who has had unprotected sex is potentially at risk. In general, the disease will only be transmitted if a mucous membrane of an infected person comes into contact with a mucous membrane of somebody else. Generally this is through sexual activity such as:

• Vaginal intercourse
• Anal intercourse
• Oral sex
• Very rarely, through other forms of sexual contact

What is Syphilis?

Syphilis is a very serious sexually transmitted disease. It is caused by a bacterium called Treponema pallidum; a minute corkscrew- shaped organism, often known as ‘the spirochaete’ (pronounced ‘spiro-keet’). Syphilis used to be a real scourge of humanity, causing hundreds of thousands of deaths worldwide. Fortunately it can be cured very easily these days with penicillin and has become far less common. Unfortunately syphilis statistics indicate that rates of infection have started to rise due to the emergence of resistant strains of the disease and lack of public awareness.

The signs and symptoms of syphilis infection are numerous, however Syphilis has 3 distinct stages; Primary Syphilis, Secondary Syphilis and Tertiary Syphilis.   However, sometimes not all 3 may be evident and it can mimic many other diseases causing confusion with those who suspect they may have been infected.

Primary Syphilis

Between 9 and 90 days after sexual contact small reddish or brownish, button-like lumps at the point of infection may appear at the site of contact. These are the first signs of syphilis and normally appear on the penis, anus, vulva or in the mouth.  It is completely painless which may lead to the belief that nothing serious is wrong.  A few days later, the lump breaks down into an ulcer or “sore” and is also painless.  These “sores” normally heal in 3 to 10 weeks, sometimes leaving a slight scar. Unfortunately, many people infected may think that is the end of the matter and not bother to seek treatment. However, there is a high probability that the syphilis bacterium is still present in the body and that the disease will advance to the secondary syphilis stage.

Secondary Syphilis

Roughly two months after the original infection ‘secondary syphilis signs’ will feature. As these symptoms are so vague that they are often overlooked but may include the following:

• A ‘syphilis rash’
• Feeling generally unwell
• Fever
• Headache
• Grayish-white patches inside the mouth and sometimes in the genital area
• Swollen glands

However, secondary syphilis can produce such an extraordinary variety of symptoms that very few doctors, apart from STD experts, could diagnose without the use of a syphilis blood test.

Eventually the secondary syphilis signs settles down, and once again you may make the mistake of thinking that ‘everything will be all right'. Unfortunately, it probably won’t be. Syphilis can advance to stage 3 or the Tertiary Syphilis stage provoking truly terrible effects on the human body and mind.

Tertiary Syphilis

Years after the original infection, very occasionally as few as 3 years, but usually 10 to 20 years, the syphilis bacteria start attacking various parts of the body, including the brain, heart, blood vessels, spinal cord, skin, liver and bones. This third stage of syphilis used to be a common cause of madness, paralysis and death. Fortunately, these days it is very rarely seen in Britain, where thankfully, most cases of syphilis are diagnosed and treated in the early stages.

Syphilis Infection Transfer

The statistics on syphilis indicate that men are more vulnerable to contracting syphilis than women. The highest proportions of infections are in males between the ages of 15-39 years.

As with all STD’s, anyone who has had unprotected sex is potentially at risk. Treponema pallidum or Syphilis can only be only be transmitted if a mucous membrane of an infected person comes into contact with a mucous membrane of another infected person. Transfers normally occur when the disease is in the primary and secondary stages through lesions or ’sores’ where the protective layer of the skin has been breached.  

Testing for Syphilis

A test for syphilis can be administered by a clinic or health care provider using our ‘point of care’ tests or by an individual at a place of choice.

Every syphilis test comes complete with everything needed to carry out and interpret a test where ever required. The test for Syphilis can be performed discretely and in the privacy of your home by following the clear instructions.  A sample is required from a pin prick of blood to perform the test and results are available in minutes, rather than the weeks normally required for a laboratory test.

A SafeScreen home test kit is an accurate way of detecting the Syphilis antigen in the blood – indicating the presence of Treponema pallidum or Syphilis.

Ordering Instructions

All orders received before 4.15pm are dispatched 1st Class the same day. All home syphilis test kits are delivered discretely in plain, unmarked packaging with no indication of the contents inside the box.  Boxes are then posted inside a secure jiffy bag to ensure complete privacy.

Prevention

To prevent infection from syphilis, it is important to practice safe sex by using a condom. If a barrier is not used such as condoms anybody who engages in sexual activity can become infected from an infected individual.

Syphillis statistics are much higher in countries outside of the UK, notably the USA and Asia. Certain parts of the world have no official figures for rates of infection; therefore, unprotected casual sex while overseas carries a greater risk of infection.

Syphilis Treatment & Prognosis

The normal treatment of syphilis is with penicillin.  However many people are allergic to penicillin and are treated with other antibiotics.  Resistant strains of Treponema Palladium are becoming more common and a stronger dose of medication is sometimes administered by injection.

If the test device shows that the Syphilis antigen has been detected in the blood an appointment with a doctor is required to you who can advise on the best course of medication and confirm results by repeating a test.

It is vital to realise that if you are treated for syphilis, you are likely to remain contagious for some time. Therefore it is important not to resume sexual contact with anyone until you have been retested following treatment and been told by your heath care provider that it is safe to do so.

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