Pregnancy outcome in women infected with HIV-1 receiving combination antiretroviral therapy before versus after conception

• Published in: Sexually transmitted infections Vol. 85; no. 2; p. 82
• Main Authors: Machado, E S, Hofer, C B, Costa, T T, Nogueira, S A, Oliveira, R H, Abreu, T F, Evangelista, L A, Farias, I F A, Mercadante, R T C, Garcia, M F L, Neves, R C, Costa, V M, Lambert, J S
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 01-04-2009
• Subjects: Adult; Anti-HIV Agents - adverse effects; Antiretroviral Therapy, Highly Active - adverse effects; Brazil; Female; HIV Infections - complications; HIV Infections - drug therapy; HIV-1; Humans; Infant, Low Birth Weight; Infant, Newborn; Infant, Premature; Infant, Very Low Birth Weight; Pregnancy; Pregnancy Complications, Infectious - drug therapy; Pregnancy Outcome; Premature Birth - chemically induced; Prospective Studies; Risk Factors; Young Adult; Brazil
• ISSN: 1472-3263
• DOI: 10.1136/sti.2008.032300

The potential adverse effects of antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy are discrepant and few studies, mostly from Europe, have provided information about pregnancy outcomes of those already on treatment at conception. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of antiretrovirals (ARVs) on pregnancy outcome according to the timing of treatment initiation in a cohort of pregnant women from Brazil infected with HIV.
A prospective cohort of 696 pregnant women followed up in one single centre between 1996 and 2006 was studied. Patients who had ARV treatment before pregnancy were compared with those treated after the first trimester. The outcomes evaluated were preterm delivery (PTD) (<37 weeks), severe PTD (<34 weeks), low birth weight (LBW) (<2500 g) and very LBW (<1500 g).
Patients who were using ARVs pre-conception had higher rates of LBW (33.3% vs 16.5%; p<0.001) and a similar trend for PTD (26.3% vs 17.7%; p = 0.09). Stratification by type of therapy (dual vs highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)) according to timing of initiation of ARVs showed that patients who use HAART pre-conception have a higher rate of PTD (20.2% vs 10.2%; p = 0.03) and LBW (24.2% vs 10.2%; p = 0.002). After adjusting for several factors, HAART used pre-conception was associated with an increased risk for PTD (AOR 5.0; 95% CI 1.5 to 17.0; p = 0.009) and LBW (OR 3.6; 95% CI 1.7 to 7.7; p = 0.001).
We identified an increased risk for LBW and PTD in patients who had HAART prior to pregnancy.