Inequalities in the magnitude and trend of congenital syphilis in the most populous municipalities of Baixada Fluminense (RJ), 2015 to 2024

Abstract

Objectives:  to analyze the magnitude and temporal distribution of congenital syphilis, according to sociodemographic characteristics and prenatal care in the three most populous municipalities of Baixada Fluminense-RJ (2015-2024).

Methods:  ecological time series study. Data from the Notifiable Diseases Information System and the Live Birth Information System. Incidences and temporal trends were calculated considering sociodemographic and prenatal variables. For temporal analysis, the Joinpoint Regression program was used.

Results:  8961 cases of congenital syphilis were registered. Belford Roxo presented the highest incidence, reaching 28.5/1,000 LB in 2024, followed by Duque de Caxias −24.1, and Nova Iguaçu - 9.7, with stagnation in the rates in the first and growth in the last two, from 2015 to 2021, with a reduction in recent years, without reversing the magnitude of disease. COVID-19 pandemics altered trends, with joinpoints in 2021. Inequalities in the magnitude and trend of CS were identified, with higher incidences and stability/increase among adolescents, brown women, and those with low education. Women who did not undergo prenatal care had higher incidences, stable or increasing.

Conclusion:  the incidences of CS were high, uneven and predominantly stationary or increasing, especially in more vulnerable groups. It is necessary to offer more equitable and qualified prenatal care in these municipalities.

Key words:
Congenital syphilis; Measuring health inequalities; Prenatal care; Health information systems; Time series studies