Congenital syphilis and perinatal mortality.

About 6% of perinatal mortality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, is associated with congenital syphilis. We report on 65 autopsies and the accompanying maternal examinations and interviews. Congenital syphilis was most common in unwanted pregnancies, in women with previous stillborns, in those who had multiple sexual partners, and in those who did not seek antenatal medical care. Congenital syphilis causes enlargement of liver, spleen, and placenta; premature labor; and increased perinatal mortality. It is recognizable even in severely macerated stillborns.