THE IMPORTANCE OF PRIMARY CARE IN THE PREVENTION OF CONGENITAL SYPHILIS IN BRAZIL IN THE POST-PANDEMIC PERIOD – AN INTEGRATIVE REVIEW
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56238/arev7n12-064Keywords:
Syphilis, Congenital, Pregnant Women, Vertical Transmission, Prenatal Care, Treatment, Primary Care, PreventionAbstract
Syphilis is a chronic systemic infectious disease whose etiological agents are spirochete bacterials of the species Treponema pallidum and constitutes a significant public health problem in many high- to low-income countries. Syphilis rates continue to rise, and there is an urgent need for healthcare providers from diverse backgrounds to recognize the importance and impact of this disease. In recent decades, however, there has been a drastic increase in syphilis cases, sparking scientific interest in this area. Transmission occurs predominantly through sexual contact, and also through congenital transmission. Rarely, it can occur through blood transfusion or occupational accidents, with vertical transmission being highly prevalent today and perfectly preventable through prenatal identification of the infection and treatment with penicillin during pregnancy during primary care follow-up. Failures in prenatal care have resulted in an increase in cases of congenital syphilis in recent years, leading to miscarriage and clinical manifestations in newborns, whether early or late, and a lack of adherence to follow-up care for these newborns in primary care. Given the above, it is evident that identifying failures and inconsistencies in prenatal care, such as low adherence to prenatal care, poor management of these consultations, unqualified professionals to carry out these consultations, inadequate treatment of these pregnant women during prenatal care, and a poor health education and promotion system, are crucial factors for reducing cases of congenital syphilis in Brazil and worldwide.
Downloads
References
AGÊNCIA FIOCRUZ DE NOTÍCIAS. FIOCRUZ. Sífilis e resistência a antibióticos entre jovens. Disponível em: https://agencia.fiocruz.br/fiocruz-no-ar-aborda-sifilis-e-resistencia-antibioticos-entre-jovens.
ARAÚJO, K. L. et al. Assistência pré-natal e a persistência da sífilis congênita em regiões vulneráveis do Brasil. Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia, v. 44, n. 6, p. 470–478, 2022.
BAKER, B.J. et al. Advancing the understanding of treponemal disease in the past and present. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 171 Suppl 70, 5–41. 2020.
BEALE, M.A. et al. Global phylogeny of Treponema pallidum lineages reveals recent expansion and spread of contemporary syphilis. Nature microbiology, 6(12), 1549–1560. 2021.
SCHAUDINN, F. HOFFMANN, P.E. Vorläufiger Bericht über das Vorkommen von Spirochaeten in Syphilitischen Krankheitsprozessen und bei Framboesie. Arbeiten aus dem Kaiserlichen Gesundheitsamte, Berlim, v. 22, n. 2, p. 527-534, 1905.
FORRESTEL, A.K. KOVARIK, C.L. & KATZ, K.A. Sexually acquired syphilis: Historical aspects, microbiology, epidemiology, and clinical manifestations. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology, 82(1), 1–14. 2020.
GASPAR P.C, et al. Protocolo Brasileiro para Infecções Sexualmente Transmissíveis 2020: testes diagnósticos para sífilis. Epidemiol. Serv. Saúde. 2021. Disponível em: https://www.scielo.br/j/ress/a/TfDK54RTKgfnqvB7TDFkjSD/?lang=pt.
GHANEM, K.G. RAM, S. & RICE, P.A. The Modern Epidemic of Syphilis. The New England journal of medicine, 382(9), 845–854. 2020.
GILMOUR, L.S. & WALLS, T. Congenital Syphilis: a Review of Global Epidemiology. Clinical microbiology reviews, 36(2), e0012622. 2023.
LOPES M.D.S. et al. Resistência do treponema pallidum frente ao tratamento convencional da sífilis. Revista Eletrônica Acervo Enfermagem. 24, 1. 2024.
MINISTÉRIO DA SAÚDE – SUS. Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (Sinan). Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística (IBGE). 2025. Disponível em: file:///Users/andreferreira/Downloads/Boletim%20-%20S%C3%ADfilis%20-%202025.pdf.
MORAIS, C.M., TEIXEIRA, I.V., SADOK S. et al. Trigrama da sífilis: uma visualização de domínio específico para combater a epidemia de sífilis e melhorar a qualidade da saúde materno-infantil no Brasil. BMC Gravidez Part, o22, 379. 2022.
Organização Mundial da Saúde. Orientações globais sobre critérios e processos para validação: eliminação da transmissão vertical do HIV, da sífilis e do vírus da hepatite B. OMS, Genebra, Suíça. 2021.
ORTIZ, L. PADILHA, E. Impacto da pandemia do covid-19 na incidência de sífilis gestacional no Sul do Brasil entre os anos de 2018 a 2021. Brazilian Journal of Implantology and Health Sciences. 7, 10, 507-522. 2025.
PEREIRA A.L. et al. Impacto do grau de escolaridade e idade no diagnóstico tardio de sífilis em gestantes. FEMINA. 48(9):563-7. 2020.
SANTOS, F.M.S. SANTOS, N.A. Perfil epidemiológico de sífilis congênita no Nordeste do Brasil entre 2018 e 2022. Research, Society and Development, v. 13, n. 9, e7613946727, 2024
SATYAPUTRA, F. HENDRY, S. et al. The Laboratory Diagnosis of Syphilis. Journal of clinical microbiology, 59(10), e0010021. 2021.
SILVA M.M. et al. Análise dos fatores associados à incidência e prevenção da sífilis gestacional no Brasil. Revista Eletrônica Acervo Saúde, 24(11), e18057. 2024.
SOARES, M.A.S.S. AQUINO, R. Associação entre as taxas de incidência de sífilis gestacional e sífilis congênita e a cobertura de pré-natal no Estado da Bahia, Brasil. Cad. Saúde Pública. 37(7): e00209520. 2021.
Ramos, A.M. et al. Perfil epidemiológico da sífilis em gestantes no Brasil. Revista Eletrônica Acervo Saúde, 15(1), e9541-e9541. 2022.
TRIVEDI, S., TAYLOR, M., KAMB, M. L., & CHOU, D. Evaluating coverage of maternal syphilis screening and treatment within antenatal care to guide service improvements for prevention of congenital syphilis in Countdown 2030 Countries. Journal of global health, 10(1), 010504. 2020.
