General Paresis
Alternate Names : Paretic Neurosyphilis
What can be done to prevent the disease?
If syphilis is recognized early in its course, it can be cured with antibiotics. General paresis develops only in those who go for years without treatment. Preventive strategies also include the following:
Get prompt treatment for any signs of sexually-transmitted infections, or STDs.
Limit the number of sexual partners and avoid infected partners.
Practice safer sex.
What are the long-term effects of the disease?
Some of the changes of general paresis are not reversible. The brain itself often becomes damaged. Treatment is important to stop the brain damage at the earliest possible time. Dementia from any cause increases the risk of early death. It also makes a person less able to carry out normal daily activities.
What are the risks to others?
General paresis occurs after many years of a syphilis infection, when the person is no longer contagious.
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