Syphilis in pregnant women and their children in the United Kingdom: results from national clinician reporting surveys 1994-7

Objective To measure the incidence of syphilis detected in pregnancy and co ngenital syphilis in the United Kingdom. Design Surveys through consultants in genitourinary medicine and paediatric ians with active surveillance. Setting United Kingdom, 1994-7. Subjects Women treated for syphilis in pregnancy, and children with early c ongenital syphilis born in the United Kingdom. Results Over 3 years 139 women were diagnosed with and treated for syphilis in pregnancy; 121 were detected through antenatal screening. Thirty one ha d confirmed or probable congenitally transmissible syphilis, putting their pregnancies at risk These were minimum figures but are compatible with the 90 to 100 women newly diagnosed annually as having infectious or early late nt syphilis. A universal screening policy would require 18 600 and 55 700 w omen (maximum numbers) to be screened, respectively, to detect one woman ne eding treatment and to prevent one case of congenital syphilis. Nine presum ptive cases of children with congenital syphilis born in the United Kingdom were reported. Mothers requiring treatment for syphilis were found in almo st every health region but were more prevalent in London and the south east Being born abroad and belonging to an ethnic minority group were strong ri sk factors, but 14% (19 of 121) of cases treated and six of 31 definite or probably transmissible cases occurred in white women born in the United Kin gdom. Conclusions Congenitally transmissible syphilis continues to occur among pr egnant women in the United Kingdom. Cases would be missed and stillbirths a nd congenitally infected babies would occur if antenatal screening was aban doned.