Factors associated with signs of congenital syphilis in newborns

Objective

To analyze risk factors (maternal, obstetric and demographic) associated with congenital syphilis and the clinical characteristics of the newborns.

Method

A cross-sectional study carried out in ten public maternity hospitals in Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil that included cases of live births reported with congenital syphilis in 2015.

Results

469 cases were analyzed; 199 (42.4 %) showed some sign or symptom suggestive of congenital syphilis; of these, 65 (32.7 %) were preterm, 87 (43.7 %) had low birth weight, 116 (58.3 %) had jaundice that required phototherapy, 13 (6.5 %) had hepatomegaly, 10 (5 %) had skin lesions, eight (4.0 %) had splenomegaly and one (0.5 %) had limb pseudoparalysis. Records of other clinical changes were identified in 36 (7.7 %) children. Children whose mothers were not treated or who received a drug other than penicillin and those whose mothers had a VDRL titer ≥ 1:16 at birth were 3.7 and 3.2 times more likely to be born with signs of congenital syphilis (p < 0.001- 95 % CI 2.41–5.58; p < 0.001 – 95 % CI 2.41–5.58) respectively.

Conclusions

The findings of this study draw attention to the importance of improving the quality of prenatal care and the development of studies aimed at finding alternative drugs for the treatment of syphilis in pregnant women and the prevention of congenital syphilis.