• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to footer
  • Biblioteca
  • Museu
  • Pessoal
    • Webmail
    • Área de Docentes
    • Área de Não-Docentes
  • Estudantes
    • Webmail
    • Moodle
    • NetP@
    • Escola Doutoral
    • Serviços Académicos
    • Trabalhar no IHMT

IHMT

Instituto de Higiene e Medicina Tropical

  • O Instituto
    • Missão
    • Mensagem do Diretor
    • Órgãos de governo
    • Docentes e investigadores
    • Portal de Denúncias UNL
  • Ensino
    • Mestrados
    • Doutoramentos
    • Cursos de Especialização
    • Formação transversal
    • Cursos de Curta Duração
    • Ensino à Distância
    • Apoio ao Desenvolvimento
    • Serviços académicos
    • NOVA Open Academy
  • Investigação
    • Centro GHTM
    • Unidades de Ensino e de Investigação (UEI)
      • Unidade de Clínica Tropical
      • Unidade de Microbiologia Médica
      • Unidade de Parasitologia Médica
      • Unidade de Saúde Pública Global
      • Serviço de Apoio à Ciência e Comunidade
    • Biobanco
    • BLOODless
    • Centro Colaborador OMS
    • Publicações
  • Serviços e gestão
    • Biblioteca
    • Sistema de Qualidade
    • Estatutos e regulamentos
    • Plano de Atividades
    • Relatório de Atividades
    • Relatório de Gestão
    • Contratos públicos
    • Recursos humanos
      • Concursos e bolsas
        • Concursos – Docentes e Investigadores
        • Concursos – Não Docentes e Não Investigadores
        • Bolsas de Investigação
      • Contratos
      • Avaliação de Desempenho
        • Ciclo Avaliativo
          • Biénio 2021-2022
          • Biénio 2023-2024
        • Conselho Coordenador de Avaliação
        • Comissão Paritária
      • Mobilidade
      • Listas Nominativas
  • Doenças Tropicais
    • Consulta do Viajante
    • Dossiês Informativos
    • Glossário
    • Museu
    • Vídeos
    • MosquitoWeb
  • Comunidade
    • Cooperação e Desenvolvimento
    • Formação
    • Parcerias
  • Contactos
  • Candidaturas
  • pt
    • pt
    • en
Home / Publicações / Congenital syphilis: A sentinel event in antenatal care quality

Congenital syphilis: A sentinel event in antenatal care quality

  • Autores: Domingues RMSM, Hartz ZM, Leal MD, Saraceni V
  • Ano de Publicação: 2013
  • Journal: Revista de Saúde Pública
  • Link: http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?pid=S0034-89102013000100019&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en

Objective

To evaluate antenatal care in reducing the vertical transmission of syphilis.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was designed to be representative of low-risk pregnancies in women cared for at the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) network in the city of Rio de Janeiro, from November 2007 to July 2008. Pregnant women diagnosed with syphilis were identified through interviews, checking their antenatal care card and searching for reported cases in the public health information systems. Cases of congenital syphilis were sought at the disease reporting system (Sinam), the Mortality Information System (SIM) and the SUS’s Hospital Information System (SIH).

Results

Syphilis was identified in 46 of the pregnancies, and 16 cases of congenital syphilis were identified, resulting in a prevalence of 1.9% (95%CI 1.3;2.6) of syphilis in pregnancy and an incidence of 6/1,000 (95%CI 3;12/1,000) of congenital syphilis. The vertical transmission rate was 34.8% with three cases resulting in death (1 abortion, 1 stillborn and 1 neonatal death) and high proportions of prematurity and low birth weight. The healthcare pathway of those women revealed flaws in the care they received, such as late entry to antenatal care, syphilis remaining undiagnosed during pregnancy and lack of treatment for the partner.

Conclusions

Innovative strategies are needed to improve the outcomes of syphilis in pregnancy, including improving the laboratory network, the quality of care delivered to the pregnant women and their sexual partners and, most important of all, investigating every case of congenital syphilis as a sentinel event in the quality of antenatal care.

Congenital syphilis: A sentinel event in antenatal care quality

  • Autores: Domingues RMSM, Hartz ZM, Leal MD, Saraceni V
  • Ano de Publicação: 2013
  • Journal: Revista de Saúde Pública
  • Link: http://www.scielosp.org/scielo.php?pid=S0034-89102013000100019&script=sci_arttext&tlng=en

Objective

To evaluate antenatal care in reducing the vertical transmission of syphilis.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was designed to be representative of low-risk pregnancies in women cared for at the Brazilian Unified Health System (SUS) network in the city of Rio de Janeiro, from November 2007 to July 2008. Pregnant women diagnosed with syphilis were identified through interviews, checking their antenatal care card and searching for reported cases in the public health information systems. Cases of congenital syphilis were sought at the disease reporting system (Sinam), the Mortality Information System (SIM) and the SUS’s Hospital Information System (SIH).

Results

Syphilis was identified in 46 of the pregnancies, and 16 cases of congenital syphilis were identified, resulting in a prevalence of 1.9% (95%CI 1.3;2.6) of syphilis in pregnancy and an incidence of 6/1,000 (95%CI 3;12/1,000) of congenital syphilis. The vertical transmission rate was 34.8% with three cases resulting in death (1 abortion, 1 stillborn and 1 neonatal death) and high proportions of prematurity and low birth weight. The healthcare pathway of those women revealed flaws in the care they received, such as late entry to antenatal care, syphilis remaining undiagnosed during pregnancy and lack of treatment for the partner.

Conclusions

Innovative strategies are needed to improve the outcomes of syphilis in pregnancy, including improving the laboratory network, the quality of care delivered to the pregnant women and their sexual partners and, most important of all, investigating every case of congenital syphilis as a sentinel event in the quality of antenatal care.

Footer

INSTITUTO DE HIGIENE E
MEDICINA TROPICAL
UNIVERSIDADE NOVA DE LISBOA
Rua da Junqueira, 100 1349-008 Lisboa
T +351 213 652 600
geral@ihmt.unl.pt

Consulta do Viajante e Medicina Tropical
T +351 213 652 630
T +351 213 652 690
T +351 91 182 37 48
T +351 91 182 44 67
medicina.viagens@ihmt.unl.pt

  • Ensino
  • Investigação
  • Medicina Tropical
  • Cooperação
  • Portal de Denúncias UNL

NOVA University of Lisbon Logo

Siga-nos

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Receber a “newsletter”

© Copyright 2025 IHMT-UNL Todos os Direitos Reservados.
  • Universidade Nova de Lisboa
  • Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia

    UIDB/04413/2020
    UIDP/04413/2020

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.Ok