Epidemiological profile of patients treated for acquired syphilis at the Nova Iguaçu General Hospital

• DOI: https://doi.org/10.22533/at.ed.1594902408104

• Palavras-chave: Syphilis; Treponema infection; Sexually transmitted bacterial diseases.

• Keywords: Syphilis; Treponema infection; Sexually transmitted bacterial diseases.

• Abstract:

  The purpose of this study was to carry out a critical evaluation of the cases of acquired syphilis at the Nova Iguaçu General Hospital (HGNI) between 2015 and 2020. The data was collected from the medical records of patients who underwent treatment for acquired syphilis notified in the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). A total of 865 cases of people infected with acquired syphilis were analyzed. It was found that until 2017 there was an annual increase in the recording of syphilis cases with a drop in the number of cases in 2018, 2019 and 2020. In 2020 there was a reduction equivalent to 1/5 of the total number of records compared to the previous year, probably due to underreporting as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Young men were slightly more affected than women, possibly due to the risk-taking behavior of men, however, women showed worrying numbers due to the stability of the relationship, without using condoms. Despite the limitations of the study, acquired syphilis can be easily treated, but it still remains a public health problem in Brazil. More attention needs to be paid by the health authorities to building well-defined strategies for more prevention campaigns, such as those already carried out with the free distribution of condoms by the Ministry of Health (MS) and, above all, the search for health education with a view to the increasing reduction of acquired syphilis and its evolution, as well as spreading the word about the complications that can occur when the disease is not properly treated, as a warning to the population.