BETHLEHEM, Pa. — STD testing should be on the Valentine's Day to-do list for sexually active people, as syphilis cases are on the rise across the country and in the Lehigh Valley, a local physician says.
The increase in the area has medical professionals stressing the importance of testing.
“We're seeing an uptick because we had such a decrease in the amount of testing that happened during the [coronavirus] pandemic," said Dr. Lisa Spacek, chief medical officer at Novus Medical Services, which has five locations in and around the Lehigh Valley.
"But I think overall, across the country, we're seeing an increase in the rise of cases.”
"This is something that we haven't seen for decades and so this is an alarming concern because it's something that we have to start incorporating into prenatal care."Dr. Lisa Sacek, chief medical officer, Novus Medical Services
Syphilis cases increased 80% from 2018 to 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“We see different ages, genders, it's not limited, because it's just the intimate contact, the sexual contact, that can transmit syphilis,” Spacek said.
She said the uptick could be because of the lack of testing during the pandemic for both sexually active people as well as during pregnancy.
"What's really been talked about are these neonatal cases because this is something that we haven't seen for decades and so this is an alarming concern because it's something that we have to start incorporating into prenatal care,” she said.
'The great imitator'
Spacek said that in addition to skin-to-skin sexual contact, syphilis can be passed from mother to baby, so doctors are beginning to test twice during pregnancy.
CDC datashows that in the past decade, syphilis cases in newborns have increased tenfold. In 2022, there were 3,700 babies born with the sexually transmitted infection.
Syphilis presents as a rash or lesion, but can be asymptomatic.
"It can infect the blood supply to the hair follicles, people can lose their hair, so there's baldness or alopecia, and people can lose their eyebrows."Dr. Lisa Spacek, chief medical officer, Novus Medical Services
"It's a fine lace like rash that can cover the body, Spacek said. "Sometimes there are lesions that we call copper-coin colored lesions on the palms and the souls."
Spacek called the systemic infection the “great imitator” because of its ability to take on the form of other conditions.
"Because it can infect the blood supply to the hair follicles, people can lose their hair, so there's baldness or alopecia, and people can lose their eyebrows," she said.
She said if left untreated, it can have a more severe impact on the body, even causing psychosis or neurologic problems.
"If someone's had syphilis for a long time, they can develop something called gemas, which is like a kind of a non-cancerous tumor in a way," Spacek said.
'Syphilis is preventable'
However, she said those conditions are rare, considering the illness is easily treated with antibiotics.
She said most people will be tested, prescribed medication, and get better in a short time, though medical professions do keep a closer watch on those with underlying conditions, such as HIV.
“Syphilis is preventable with the use of condoms; that way there isn’t direct skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity. That's probably the most effective intervention and really being proactive in terms of testing and treatment.”Dr. Lisa Spacek, chief medical officer, Novus Medical Services
“Syphilis is preventable with the use of condoms; that way there isn’t direct skin-to-skin contact during sexual activity,” she said.
“That's probably the most effective intervention and really being proactive in terms of testing and treatment.”
Testing is available at any Novus location, which includes Bethlehem, Bridgeport, Doylestown, Lehighton, and Stroudsburg. An office in Reading will open soon.
The centers offer state funding for those who are uninsured or underinsured. Spacek said primary care doctors can test, as well.
