Análise espacial e epidemiológica dos casos de sífilis congênita do Estado do Rio Grande do Norte 2012 a 2023

Abstract

Introduction: Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacterium treponema pallidum, considered one of the oldest diseases in the world. It is an infection that can affect everyone, is curable, but still presents resistance to treatment. Transmission of congenital syphilis occurs from the infected mother to the child during pregnancy or birth. Objective: to analyze the spatial and epidemiological distribution of congenital syphilis cases in Rio Grande do Norte in the time series from 2012 to 2023. Methodology: It is an ecological study, analytical type and mixed design. The study's sample consists of secondary data, coming from female patients who had syphilis during pregnancy, in addition to children affected by congenital syphilis. Cases that occurred in the period from January 2011 to December 2023, residing in the state of Rio Grande do Norte and that were registered in the indicator panel of the Ministry of Health, were investigated. In this study, the statistical test Global Index of Moran, using QGIS Desktop software in version 3.28.13 for autocorrelation analysis and spatial modeling. Results: Between the years 2012 and 2023 and based on the Live Birth Information System – SINASC, 538,901 children were born whose mother resides in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, with preliminary data from the year 2023, with an average of 437 cases of congenital syphilis in children under one year old registered per year by the state's municipalities. During the analysis of these 12 years, an upward curve in the detection rate of CS cases has been identified, since the year 2012, with small declines in the years 2020 with 12.4% (538) and 2022 with 12.1 % (527), taking as a reference the previous years of 2019 with 14.3% (630) and 2021 with 13.6% (13.6), respectively. Conclusions: the occurrence of congenital syphilis in the state of Rio Grande do Norte is influenced by factors such as limited access to health services, socioeconomic inequalities, cultural barriers, education, among others. There is a need for a broader understanding of these factors and the implementation of effective strategies that address these issues in an integrated manner.