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Is Painless Ulcer On Penis Symptom Of Syphilis?
Question: Hi about 9 years ago I had one painless ulcer like lesion on my penis. It cleared up after about 2 weeks with no treatment. I have had no other symptoms since. Could this have been syphilis and if so how long does it take for syphilis to start doing permanent damage?
Brief Answer:
Painless penile ulcer
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to health care magic forum.
I understand from your query that you are concerned about a painless ulcer which you had on the penis 9 years back.
From your history and description, there is a theoritical possibility of it being " primary syphilis". It generally presents with a painless ulcer called as " primary chancre" which heals spontaneously.
However, if it were to be a primary chancre, you would have got some symptoms of " secondary syphilis" within 3- 6 months of the ulcer healing. These symptoms could have been fever, lymph node enlargement, malaise, fatigue, skin rash, oral ulcers, etc which would have prompted you to visit a GP.
Even if this stage went undetected, the next stage called " tertiary stage" could occur anywhere from 1 year to several years after the ulcer heals. This could cause heart and neurological symptoms.
Considering that you are completely asymptomatic after the ulcer healing, I do not think you have syphilis. However, I would suggest you to get a test called TPHA or an ELISA test to rule out the possibility.
Hope this helps you.
If you have any more queries,i will be glad to answer.
Regards,
Dr. Johny Chacko
Painless penile ulcer
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Welcome to health care magic forum.
I understand from your query that you are concerned about a painless ulcer which you had on the penis 9 years back.
From your history and description, there is a theoritical possibility of it being " primary syphilis". It generally presents with a painless ulcer called as " primary chancre" which heals spontaneously.
However, if it were to be a primary chancre, you would have got some symptoms of " secondary syphilis" within 3- 6 months of the ulcer healing. These symptoms could have been fever, lymph node enlargement, malaise, fatigue, skin rash, oral ulcers, etc which would have prompted you to visit a GP.
Even if this stage went undetected, the next stage called " tertiary stage" could occur anywhere from 1 year to several years after the ulcer heals. This could cause heart and neurological symptoms.
Considering that you are completely asymptomatic after the ulcer healing, I do not think you have syphilis. However, I would suggest you to get a test called TPHA or an ELISA test to rule out the possibility.
Hope this helps you.
If you have any more queries,i will be glad to answer.
Regards,
Dr. Johny Chacko
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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