Profile of Pediatric Clients at the Center for Training and Reference in Infectious and Parasitic Diseases in Belo Horizonte

Abstract

The comprehension of the social determinants of the main infectious diseases is necessary for its effective control. A transversal study has been designed with data from medical registers concerning the first appointment of the pediatric patients on “Centro de Referência em Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias Orestes Diniz UFMG/PBH”, with the objective of investigating the prevalence and determinants of the major infectious diseases among these children. Data from 173 registers was obtained, from which 78.6% were less than 2 years old. Most patients (74.5%) presented congenital infections: 27.7% with syphilis, 21.3% with toxoplasmosis and 20.8% exposed to the human immunodeficiency virus. This practice offers care to children of all ages, from the entire state, and most of them present congenital infections. A quality pre-natal care leads to both a precocious diagnose of these diseases, with appropriate monitoring and treatment, and the practice of preventive measures, hence reducing the incidence of those infections.