IMPACT IN NOTIFIED SYPHILIS DIAGNOSIS DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN BRAZIL

Abstract

Objective This study aimed to compare the average number of syphilis cases reported in the five Brazilian geographic regions, from March to December from 2017 to 2019, and in the same period in 2020, the latter representing the period of the pandemic. Study Design In this descriptive study, data were extracted from a SUS public disease notification database. Results There was a significant increase in syphilis incidence rates per million inhabitants in all Brazilian macro-regions during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching +157% in the Southeast. The average increase was +78% overall, representing an additional 161 incident cases per million inhabitants. In all stages of syphilis, oral changes are observed. In congenital syphilis, pathognomonic signs and the Hutchinson triad (interstitial keratitis, Hutchinson teeth, hearing loss) can appear. The data suggest that distancing measures in the pandemic period were not able to interfere with sexual behavior in Brazil. Conclusion The epidemiology of syphilis in Brazil, in the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), presents interferences. Studies are needed to plan health measures. FAPEMIG, CNPq, CAPES. This study aimed to compare the average number of syphilis cases reported in the five Brazilian geographic regions, from March to December from 2017 to 2019, and in the same period in 2020, the latter representing the period of the pandemic. In this descriptive study, data were extracted from a SUS public disease notification database. There was a significant increase in syphilis incidence rates per million inhabitants in all Brazilian macro-regions during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching +157% in the Southeast. The average increase was +78% overall, representing an additional 161 incident cases per million inhabitants. In all stages of syphilis, oral changes are observed. In congenital syphilis, pathognomonic signs and the Hutchinson triad (interstitial keratitis, Hutchinson teeth, hearing loss) can appear. The data suggest that distancing measures in the pandemic period were not able to interfere with sexual behavior in Brazil. The epidemiology of syphilis in Brazil, in the 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19), presents interferences. Studies are needed to plan health measures.