Syphilis has three stages:
1.      About 10 days to 6 weeks after exposure one painless sore appears on the genitals, the lips or the anus (called a chancre), but sometimes there are many sores. It heals on its own within a few weeks. There can also be enlarged lymph nodes in the groin.
2.      The second stage starts after an average of 7 to 10 weeks. It often starts with a rash: reddish brown spots over the body, but especially on the soles of the feel and the palms of the hands. Some of the following symptoms can also appear: fever, headache, patchy hair loss, being tired, swollen lymph glands, soreness and aching in the joints and bones, lesions on the skin and mucous membranes. These symptoms disappear after a few months.
3.      If left untreated the bacteria continues to spread through the body and may. In time, sometimes taking more than 10 years, it can lead to brain damage, heart abnormalities, muscular paralysis, deafness, blindness and even cause death.