Frequency of reagent samples for syphilis in pregnant women treated at Distrital Leste Laboratory, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil

Abstract

Objective: Checking the frequency of reagent samples for syphilis in pregnant women treated at the Distrital Leste Laboratory in the city of Manaus from January 2016 to December 2018, comparing the positive VDRL (Venereal Disease Research Laboratory) cases with the confirmatory FTA-Abs (Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption Test). Methods: The study was cross-sectional and assessed the results of two syphilis diagnostic tests, VDRL and FTA-Abs. Data were obtained using the database of the electronic program SoftLab® and the Laboratory Environment Manager (GAL) and were quantitatively analyzed. Results: In 2016, 9,028 VDRL tests were performed on pregnant women, 8,562 tests in 2017 and 5,064 in 2018. From this total, 1020 tested positive for syphilis; 392 in 2016, 320 in 2017 and 308 in 2018, increasing from 4 to 6%. Comparison with the FTA-Abs was only made possible in 2016 when the diagnosis was confirmed in 82% of the tests. Conclusion: It was possible to check the frequency of pregnant women with positive and confirmatory results from 2016 to 2018, showing that although this pathology is easily preventable, it remains a challenging public health issue in pregnant women.

Keywords

• congenital syphilis
• diagnosis
• disease prevention
• infection control
• pregnant women