HIV, Syphilis, Hepatitis B, and Hepatitis C in Incarcerated Women in a Metropolitan Detention Center in Northeast Brazil

Background: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system cells, and causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). Incarcerated populations have a recognized increased risk of sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

Objectives: The study was aimed to identify the frequency of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis B/C in women incarcerated in a prison in a big city in northeast Brazil.

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional quantitative study.

Methodology: The sample was composed of incarcerated women in a medium- to high-security prison in a metropolitan region in northeast Brazil. Between January and October 2018, 200 prisoners were interviewed to collect their socio-demographic data. At that time, a drop of peripheral blood was collected to perform syphilis, HIV, and hepatitis B and C rapid tests after informed consent was obtained.

Results: The age of the women ranged from 19 to 62 years old (mean=32.85±10.4). The time of incarceration varied between less than one to 10 years (mean=3.6±2.1). The majority of the women were single (71.5%), not pregnant (97%), mixed race (68.5%), housewives (30.5%) and had an elementary school education (51%). Among the 122 women tested for syphilis, 24 were positive (19.7%). HIV was present in 4 of the 200 tested woman (2%), and hepatitis C was identified in 3 of the 91 tested patients. All 85 patients tested for hepatitis B were negative. When considering the time of incarceration, the results were not significantly different.

Conclusion: Only the frequency of syphilis was high, at almost 20%, which is higher than those observed in other studies from other regions of Brazil and other countries.