Risk factors associated with congenital syphilis in three health institutions in Sincelejo (Colombia)

Abstract

Objectives: To identify risk factors for congenital syphilis associated with a history of sexually transmitted infections, sexual practices of the mother and her partner, attendance for prenatal care, treatment for syphilis and type of delivery, in a group of postpartum women, registered in San Luis, Las Americas IPS's and the Hospital Universitario de Sincelejo from 2007 to 2010. Methodology: We developed a descriptive and cross-sectional study with an intentional selection of 34 mothers whose children had VDRL and FTA-ABS positive, residing in Sincelejo and were possible to locate, that signed the informed consent. An instrument is directed to the mother of the child with congenital syphilis, which was tabulated on a foundation of SPSS 15.0. Results: We found that most mothers were in strata one and two, that did not reach the middle school level; 68,0% were between 16 and 24 years old, 55.8% of sexual partners did not test for the diagnosis of syphilis and 88.2% did not use condoms before or during the treatment. Conclusions: The absence or irregular attendance at the prenatal care program and poor adherence to protective measures of sexual partners, are issues that interfere with effective treatment for pregnant women. The contacts of the infected and treated mothers are not being diagnosed in a large percentage, reflecting a failure in the following up of the contact of pregnant women to avoid re-infection.