Aching Joints
Syphilis can be transmitted through sexual contact with an infected partner and can affect any organ in the body, including the joints. A joint infection causes pain, swelling, and achiness, usually confined to a single joint, and may come and go.
The joints most commonly affected are the hands, lower legs, and feet. Symptoms aren’t limited to pain and swelling; they may include nodules in the skin, warmth around the joints, muscle aches, and fever. The symptoms will gradually disappear over months or even years.
There is no specific treatment for joint infections caused by syphilis; treatment focuses on eliminating or reducing other symptoms, such as pain or secondary bacterial infections, that may have developed due to the initial syphilitic infection. Syphilitic joint infections can cause long-term damage if left untreated, but with appropriate treatment may resolve themselves without long-term effects on the patient’s health.
