Congenital syphilis
Congenital is called syphilis, also called Lues, which is transmitted to the future child transplacentally through the mother’s blood. This disease happens early and late.
Early congenital syphilis is subdivided into that of the fetus, of infancy, and of early childhood.
Late congenital Lues is usually detected after 15-16 years, and until then it does not manifest itself at all. In fact, sometimes the symptoms of late-onset Lues appear starting from the third year of life.
What are the causes?
The disease develops in case of pale treponema /the causative agent of syphilis/ entering the body of the fetus through the umbilical vein or the ruptured lymph nodes of the mother suffering from Lues. P
The fetus can be infected in the case of a sick mother before pregnancy, and also at different stages of its development. Pathological changes in the organs and tissues of the fetus develop in the 5-6th month of pregnancy, that is, during the development of blood circulation through the placenta.
Pathogenesis
According to some scientists, syphilitic infection can also affect the chromosomal apparatus of the germ cells of the parents.
A distinction is made between syphilitic gametopathies – degenerative changes occurring in the germ cells before fertilization, blastopathies – damage to the embryo during blastogenesis, and syphilitic embryopathies – pathological changes in the fetus in the period from the fourth week to the 4-5th month of pregnancy.< /p>
A wide range of neurological, physical and intellectual abnormalities are found in such sick children.
Congenital Lewes occurs as a result of Treponema pallidum entering the fetus through the placenta from the venereal disease mother.
Fetal infection can occur both in the case of infection of the mother before conception, and later, at different stages of fetal development.
Although an earlier penetration of the pale treponema into the body of the fetus is also possible, the pathological changes in its organs and tissues develop only and only in the 5th and 6th months of pregnancy.
Therefore, active treatment of Luesa in early pregnancy can ensure the birth of healthy offspring.
Since secondary syphilis occurs with the manifestation of spirochetemia, the risk of giving birth to a sick child is highest in pregnant women suffering from the secondary form of the venereal disease.
In addition, the transmission of syphilis to the offspring takes place mainly in the first years of the mother’s infection, later her ability to infect the fetus decreases.
It is believed that it is possible to give birth to children with syphilis from a mother who suffers from the congenital form of the disease – syphilis of the second and even third generation. However, such cases are rarely observed.
The outcome of the pregnancy of a woman suffering from syphilis can be different – it may end with a late abortion, premature birth, with the birth of sick children with early or late manifestations of the venereal disease or with a latent infection.
For women suffering from syphilis, a different end of pregnancy is characteristic, in view of the different stages of the course of the venereal disease, since the degree of infection of the fetus depends on the activity of the infection.
The possibility of infecting the fetus through the transmission of the infection through sperm from the father has not been proven yet.
Treatment of congenital syphilis
The main method of modern anti-syphilis therapy is the long-term systematic appointment of penicillin derivatives in sufficient doses.
And only if the patient is allergic to penicillin derivatives or if the strain of treponema pallidus is resistant to penicillin derivatives, an alternative method of treatment with erythromycin can be recommended.
