Acquired syphilis in the elderly: a literature review

• Autor(a) principal: Natário, Juliana Amorim Alfaix
• Data de Publicação: 2022
• Outros Autores: Menezes, Laura Gualberto, Martin , Maria Fernanda Okuyama, Guareschi , Nikelly, Zanusso, Patrícia Bezerra, Gomes , Gabriela Pereira, Mano, Mariana Borges Cabrera, Queiroz, Caio Caetano de, Paula , Maria Vitória Maluf, Sapia , Luiza Nogueira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: por
• Título da fonte: Research, Society and Development
• Texto Completo: https://rsdjournal.org/index.php/rsd/article/view/25201
• topic: Treponema Pallidum; Infecção sexualmente transmissível; Terceira idade; Dados epidemiológicos; Medidas preventivas.; Treponema Pallidum; Infecciones de transmisión sexual; Ancianos; Datos epidemiológicos; Medidas preventivas.; Treponema Pallidum; Sexually transmitted infection; Elderly; Epidemiological data; Preventive measures.

Syphilis is an infection caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum, which can be transmitted by blood transfusion, sharing needles, via the placenta, and mainly, by unprotected sexual intercourse. In Brazil, syphilis infection is on the rise, including in the elderly population. So that this does not become a public health problem, it is important for health professionals to know the data related to syphilis in the elderly, in addition to spreading information about the prevention of STIs in this public. In this qualitative and descriptive review, we present a critical and detailed analysis of studies published in the last ten years related to syphilis and vulnerability in the elderly, and epidemiological data on syphilis in the elderly in Brazil. Searches were performed on the Scielo, MedLine and PubMed platforms, using the descriptors “syphilis” AND “Treponema pallidum” AND “old-aged”. After inclusion and exclusion criteria, 22 articles were selected to integrate this review. Studies demonstrate the growth of syphilis in the elderly population in the last ten years in different regions of Brazil, associated with the lack of information about transmission and forms of prevention. In addition, male individuals are the most affected public by syphilis in the elderly. Thus, the information presented in this review is important for health professionals to have a better understanding of the epidemiological data on syphilis in the elderly in different regions of Brazil and to provide awareness campaigns to optimize the prevention of syphilis and other STIs in this audience.