Syphilis among pregnant women in Northeast Brazil from 2008 to 2015: a trend analysis according to sociodemographic and clinical characteristics

High Prevalence of Syphilis among Young Pregnant Women in the Brazilian Amazon: A Cross-Sectional Study Based on Clinical Records in a Public Health Reference Unit in the City of Belém

BACKGROUND

Syphilis remains a significant global public health concern, and one of its consequences in pregnant women is the potential occurrence of congenital syphilis due to Treponema pallidum infection. This study determined the prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women undergoing prenatal care in a neighborhood on the outskirts of the city of Belém, Brazilian Amazon.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study used data from clinical records of 611 pregnant women who underwent prenatal care at a public health unit in 2019 and 2020. The reagent result for VDRL was used as an indicator of syphilis. Odds Ratio and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the association of information from pregnant women with syphilis.

RESULTS

The overall prevalence of syphilis was 5.2 % (32/611; 95 % CI: 3.5-7.0 %). Age under 23 years was identified as a risk factor for syphilis.

CONCLUSIONS

The prevalence of syphilis among pregnant women in the outskirts of Belém is high, especially among younger women. There is an urgent need to intensify innovative sexual and reproductive health education initiatives and emphasize the importance of consistent practice of preventive measures against syphilis and other STIs in the Amazon region, especially in the young population.

Maternal and congenital syphilis attributable to ethnoracial inequalities: a national record-linkage longitudinal study of 15 million births in Brazil

BACKGROUND

This study estimated ethnoracial inequalities in maternal and congenital syphilis in Brazil, understanding race as a relational category product of a sociopolitical construct that functions as an essential tool of racism and its manifestations.

METHODS

We linked routinely collected data from Jan 1, 2012 to Dec 31, 2017 to conduct a population-based study in Brazil. We estimated the attributable fraction of race (skin colour) for the entire population and specific subgroups compared with White women using adjusted logistic regression. We also obtained the attributable fraction of the intersection between two social markers (race and education) and compared it with White women with more than 12 years of education as the baseline.

FINDINGS

Of 15 810 488 birth records, 144 564 women had maternal syphilis and 79 580 had congenital syphilis. If all women had the same baseline risk as White women, 35% (95% CI 34·89-36·10) of all maternal syphilis and 41% (40·49-42·09) of all congenital syphilis would have been prevented. Compared with other ethnoracial categories, these percentages were higher among Parda/Brown women (46% [45·74-47·20] of maternal syphilis and 52% [51·09-52·93] of congenital syphilis would have been prevented) and Black women (61% [60·25-61·75] of maternal syphilis and 67% [65·87-67·60] of congenital syphilis would have been prevented). If all ethnoracial groups had the same risk as White women with more than 12 years of education, 87% of all maternal syphilis and 89% of all congenital syphilis would have been prevented.

INTERPRETATION

Only through effective control of maternal syphilis among populations at higher risk (eg, Black and Parda/Brown women with lower educational levels) can WHO's global health initiative to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of syphilis be made feasible. Recognising that racism and other intersecting forms of oppression affect the lives of minoritised groups and advocating for actions through the lens of intersectionality is imperative for attaining and guaranteeing health equity. Achieving health equality needs to be addressed to achieve syphilis control. Given the scale and complexity of the problem (which is unlikely to be unique to Brazil), structural issues and social markers of oppression, such as race and education, must be considered to prevent maternal and congenital syphilis and improve maternal and child outcomes globally.

FUNDING

Wellcome Trust, CNPq-Brazil.

TRANSLATION

For the Portuguese translation of the abstract see Supplementary Materials section.

Spatiotemporal distribution analysis of syphilis in Brazil: Cases of congenital and syphilis in pregnant women from 2001-2017

In Brazil, the notification of congenital (CS) and syphilis in pregnant women (SiP) is compulsory. Notification data provided by the Ministry of Health in combination with the mapping of vulnerable geographic areas is essential to forecasting possible outbreaks and more effectively combating infection through monitoring. We aim to evaluate the spatiotemporal distribution and epidemiological aspects of reported cases of CS and SiP in Brazil. A retrospective ecological study was carried out using secondary surveillance data obtained from the Brazilian National Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN) database, considering all reported cases of CS and SiP between 2001 to 2017. Epidemiological characteristics and time trends were analyzed using joinpoint regression models and spatial distribution, considering microregions or states/macroregions as units of analysis. A total of 188,630 (359/100,000 birth lives) CS and 235,895 of SiP (6.3/100,000 inhabitants) were reported during the period studied. In general, the epidemiologic profile of Brazil indicates most reported CS cases occurred in "mixed-race" newborns who were diagnosed within seven days of birth and whose mothers had received prenatal care, but the epidemiologic profile varies by Brazilian macroregion. Regarding SiP, most cases were among women who self-reported 'mixed-race', were aged 20-39 years, had up to eight years of formal education and were diagnosed with primary or latent syphilis. Approximately 549 (98.4%) and 558 (100%) microregions reported at least one case of CS and SiP, respectively. From 2012 to 2016, CS cases increased significantly in almost all Brazilian states, most notably in the South, Southeast, and Central-West macroregions, from 2001-2017 and the relative risk (RR) of SiP increased around 400% (RR: 1,00 to 445,50). Considering the epidemiological scenario of the infection in Brazil, it is necessary to enhance preventive, control and eradication measures.

Spatial scenery of congenital syphilis in Brazil between 2007 and 2018: an ecological study

OBJECTIVE

To analysis the epidemiological scenery of the congenital syphilis (CS) in Brazil employing spatial analysis techniques.

DESIGN

Ecological study.

SETTINGS

This study was conducted in Brazil SAMPLE: A total of 151 601 CS cases notified to the Diseases and Notification Information System from 2007 to 2018 from children aged 0-23 months and born from mothers living in Brazil were included in this study.

PRIMARY OUTCOME MEASURES

The CS incidence rates were calculated by triad (2007-2010, 2011-2014 and 2015-2018) for all Brazilian municipalities following the Boxcox transformation to remove the discrepant values. The transformed rates were analysed through the spatial autocorrelation of Moran, Kernel density estimative and spatial scan.

RESULTS

From 2007 to 2018, the CS incidence rates increased in all Brazilian regions. The CS spread towards the interior of Brazil, and a higher expansion was noticed between 2015 and 2018. The municipalities that were greatly affected by the CS were those having a high migration of people, such as the ones bordering other countries and the touristic cities. Recife, Campo Grande, Rio de Janeiro, Porto Alegre and Manaus were the capitals with the greatest spatial and spatiotemporal risk.

CONCLUSION

This study provides assistance to health authorities to fight CS in Brazil. More investment is necessary in prenatal care quality focusing on pregnant women and their partners to guarantee their full access to preventive resources against sexually transmitted infections.