| dc.description.abstract | Background:Syphilis and its outcomes remains a serious monster in pregnant women given its association with adverse effects such as stillbirth, neonatal death and spontaneous abortions among others. This study was conducted to establish the current prevalence of syphilis and associated risk factors in pregnant women attending Kawaala Health Centre IV.
Methods: It was a cross-sectional study conducted among pregnant women who attended ANC from Kawaala Health Centre IV in Kampala capital City between December 2019 to March 2020.Data on socio-demographic factors of pregnant women was collected using questionnaire and whole blood samples were tested from POCT site at ANC clinic using SD Bioline HIV/Syphilis Duo rapid test kit manufactured by SD Standard Diagnostics, INC, Korea. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 18 software.
Results: Of the 1169 pregnant women enrolled in the study, 69 were positive for syphilis, giving an overall prevalence of syphilis to be 5.9% (95%CI: 4.7-7.4). HIV positive pregnant women were significantly more likely to have syphilis (p-value<0.001, aOR: 4.13, 95%CI: 2.05-8.34).Pregnant women who had elevated blood pressure were more likely to have syphilis (p-value: 0.003, aOR: 2.84, 95%CI: 1.42-5.69) compared to those women with normal blood pressure. Pregnant women who lost their previous pregnancy were less likely to have syphilis (p-value: 0.034, aOR: 0.21, 95%CI: 0.05-0.89) as compared to those women who had a successful previous pregnancy outcome.
Conclusion: The prevalence of syphilis in this study was 5.9%.This is just a synopsis of the national prevalence and therefore there is need for a comprehensive study across Uganda to determine the actual burden and prevalence of syphilis in pregnant women. | en_US |
