Epidemiological and spatial analysis of cases of gestational and congenital syphilis

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to analyze the epidemiological profile and spatial distribution of gestational and congenital syphilis cases. This is a descriptive, exploratory and retrospective research, with a quantitative approach, conducted in Caxias (MA). Data from case reports confirmed by gestational and congenital syphilis of the Notification Recording Information System from 2013 to December 2017 were used. With the Global Positioning System technology, case coordinates were collected, and with the Quantum GIS program, version 1.7.0, the maps were built. There were 149 cases of gestational syphilis, presenting a growth of 73% in the period. The highest prevalence occurred in young, brown women with low schooling and housewives. Higher frequency of diagnosis in the third gestational trimester was evidenced, with higher prevalence of primary syphilis. There were 18 cases of congenital syphilis, with a 33% reduction in detection rate and age prevalence between 1 and 28 days of life. In the spatial analysis, the West and East zones, outskirts of the municipality, concentrated the largest number of cases. It reveals the fragility in the research management, making it detrimental to permanent education, to qualify the professionals, in order to institute early identification, timely treatment and effective follow-up.