Incidência da sífilis adquirida em Sergipe, Brasil: um estudo ecológico entre 2013 e 2021

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Syphilis is an STI (Sexually Transmitted Infection) caused by the bacterium Treponema Pallidum, and is divided into four clinical stages, primary, secondary, latent and tertiary syphilis, with its confirmatory diagnosis through treponemal and non-treponemal tests. The main treatment is through Benzathine Penicillin G in different regimens depending on the manifestations. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the incidence of acquired syphilis in Sergipe, Brazil, during the last nine years (2013-2021). MATERIAL AND METHOD: This is a cross-sectional ecological study that aims to describe the sociodemographic characteristics of cases of syphilis acquired in Sergipe, as well as analyze the temporal trend during the period 2013-2021, in addition to comparing its incidence in relation to sex and age group and verify whether there was an impact of the covid-19 pandemic on the incidence of acquired syphilis in the state. The sample was taken through the digital platform of the IT Department of the Unified Health System DATASUS, through the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN). The software used to perform the statistical analyzes is: MLG.1 JAMOVI (version 2.3.15, Sydney, Australia) and PAST (version 4.03, Oslo, Norway). RESULTS: 4,369 confirmed cases were analyzed, where it was possible to observe that the most common age group was young adults, between 20 and 39 years old, with a predominance of females, mixed race and with incomplete primary education. The “Aracaju” Health Region concentrated the majority of cases, followed by “Our Lady of Socorro”. As for the temporal trend, it was classified as decreasing over time. In relation to sex and age group, the incidence in females was not significantly higher than in males, while the incidence in young adults (20 - 49 years) was significantly higher than in all other age groups. Finally, it was seen that the COVID-19 pandemic did not influence the temporal trend and incidence of cases of acquired syphilis. CONCLUSION: The study demonstrated a decrease in the incidence of cases of acquired syphilis in the state of Sergipe in recent years, different from what occurred in other regions, and it is possible to consider that this is probably due to flaws in disease detection strategies. Therefore, the study contributes with information regarding acquired syphilis, in addition to making people reflect and seek conditions that contribute to improving the detection of the disease.