OVERVIEW OF SYPHILIS IN PREGNANT WOMEN IN BRAZIL FROM 2009 TO 2023

 

Objective: To evaluate the epidemiological panorama of syphilis cases in pregnant women in Brazil, with a focus on analyzing the incidence over the last few years, in order to provide subsidies for improving public health policies related to gestational syphilis.

 

Design: Syphilis during pregnancy remains a significant public health challenge in Brazil. The existence of this infection during pregnancy not only compromises maternal health, but is also closely associated with an increased incidence of congenital syphilis. This is a cross-sectional descriptive study, based on data from the notification of cases of syphilis during pregnancy in Brazil between 2010 and 2023, the information was obtained from the Notifiable Diseases Information System.

 

Method: Data on the notification of cases of syphilis in pregnancy in Brazil between 2010 and 2023 were analyzed. The data obtained from the Notifiable Diseases Information System were the notification FU and the number of notifications made in the respective years.

 

Results: The study found that there were 558,344 confirmed cases of syphilis in pregnant women in Brazil between 2010 and 2023, of which 257,498 were in the Southeast, 116,043 in the Northeast, 84,167 in the South, 55,369 in the North and 45,267 in the Midwest. At the same time, in the same period and country, 279,508 confirmed cases of congenital syphilis were recorded, of which 121,952 were in the Southeast; 82,397 in the Northeast; 36,068 in the South; 23,381 in the North and 15,710 in the Midwest. This reveals a high incidence of syphilis in pregnant women, as well as the prevalence of the disease, whether due to inadequate treatment, lack of treatment or lack of adherence to treatment. In addition, it was possible to raise the issue that the Southeast, despite its high HDI, has a higher diagnosis of the pathology in question.

 

Conclusions: Despite being a preventable and treatable disease, cases of syphilis during pregnancy have shown a worrying increase in Brazil, according to data from DATASUS.  Among the factors contributing to this increase are the lack of adequate access to prenatal care, failures in early diagnosis and timely treatment of infected pregnant women. In addition, there are structural barriers in the health system. The interpretation of this data highlights the urgent need to improve public policies aimed at the prevention, early diagnosis and effective treatment of syphilis.