Incidence of congenital syphilis, adverse events, and deaths in children under 2 years: systematic review protocol.

Objective: The objective of the review is to estimate the global incidence of congenital syphilis, adverse events, and death in children under 2 years of age born to mothers with syphilis.

Introduction: Untreated or inadequately treated maternal syphilis leads to adverse birth outcomes that are often severe, including stillbirth, neonatal death, prematurity, low birth weight, congenital malformations, and congenital syphilis in infants.

Eligibility criteria: This review includes studies involving fetuses and children under 2 years old diagnosed with Treponema pallidum (syphilis) infection via microscopy or serology and whose mothers were diagnosed with syphilis, irrespective of maternal treatment status.

Methods: This systematic review will follow the methodology outlined by the Prevalence Estimates Reviews - Systematic Review Methodology Group (PERSyst). The search strategy will be conducted across databases including PubMed, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), Web of Science, Science Direct (Elsevier), Embase (Elsevier), Scopus, Latin American and Caribbean Health Sciences Literature (BVS), CUIDEN (Fundación Index), Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, CAPES Theses and Dissertations, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses. The studies will be critically appraised by 2 independent reviewers. If sufficient data are available, a meta-analysis will be performed; otherwise, findings will be presented narratively, including tables and figures to support data presentation where appropriate.

Review registration number: PROSPERO CRD42024581281.