Universal newborn hearing screening program and perinatal and congenital infections in neonates attended in South Brazil.

Abstract Objective To verify the characteristics of neonates with perinatal/congenital infections (PCI) receiving care at a Universal Newborn Hearing Screening (UNHS) program of a university hospital. Methods A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted with secondary data, obtained from records of neonates with diagnosis of and/or suspicion for PCI who received care between 2017 and 2019. Results The information analyzed referred to 164 neonates who attended the service and were submitted to Newborn Hearing Screening (NHS). The most prevalent infection was syphilis (67.7%), followed by HIV (20.1%). An expressive number of neonates failed NHS (11.5%). An association was verified between the cases of syphilis and HIV and older mothers (p  Conclusion An increase in the prevalence of PCI was observed, proving it to be an important indicator, whereas these infections can be prevented. In all the years analyzed, syphilis was the most recurrent RIHL. NHS is a means of early diagnosis and intervention that must necessarily be performed in the first months of the child's life.