Incidence of congenital syphilis in the State of Rio Grande do Norte and Brazil: a retrospective study

Introduction: Syphilis is an infection with increasing incidence in Brazilian regions, and the congenital form is liable to lead to cerebral palsy and musculoskeletal deformity. The objective of this study was to analyze the prevalence of congenital syphilis in the State of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. Methods: An exploratory and retrospective study was performed from 2015 to 2017. Public domain data and unrestricted access were used in the DATASUS computer department through the TABNET application. The following variables were collected: age range, clinical evolution (congenital syphilis late, late congenital syphilis, stillbirth / syphilis abortion, ignored / blank, discarded; live birth), mother's schooling, performed prenatal and residence zone. Results: In Brazil, there were 75,733 cases, whereas in the State of Rio Grande do Norte there were 1,436 cases of congenital syphilis, out of which a greater number of confirmed cases affected age group of 0-6 days (97.6%). The highest number of cases was observed in the city of Natal (75.8%), followed by Mossoro (7.8%) and Parnamirim (5.7%). Conclusion: The study shows that the incidence of congenital syphilis occurs predominantly in incomplete elementary schooling and in the urban area. It was also verified that the diagnosis of most cases of congenital syphilis occurred in the age group up to 6 days of life, which contributes to the rates of evolution with the living child. In addition, a greater number of confirmed cases of congenital syphilis were observed, and prenatal care was performed, indicating a serious failure in care.