Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology logoLink to Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology
. 2000;8(2):94–98. doi: 10.1002/(SICI)1098-0997(2000)8:2<94::AID-IDOG6>3.0.CO;2-V

Association between HIV in pregnancy and antiretroviral therapy, including protease inhibitors and low birth weight infants.

P J Goldstein 1, R Smit 1, M Stevens 1, J L Sever 1
PMCID: PMC1784673  PMID: 10805364

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of low birth weight infants born to HIV seropositive women and to demonstrate any effects of antiretroviral therapy on birth weight. METHODS: Retrospective review of all obstetrical medical records from January 1, 1995 through June 30, 1998 to identify HIV seropositive women. We evaluated their antiretroviral therapy, CD4 counts, and birth weights of their newborns. We conducted detailed review of the clinical and laboratory findings for the HIV-infected untreated patients, women who received ZDV antepartum alone, and those who received PIs as part of antiretroviral treatment. RESULTS: The frequency of low birth weight infants was significantly increased in HIV seropositive compared to HIV seronegative parturients. Low birth weight infants were more frequent among HIV infected women with lower CD4 counts but the association was not statistically significant. Women who received no antepartum treatment, antepartum only ZDV, and those treated with PIs had significantly more low birth weight infants than did comparison groups. HIV seropositive women also had high frequencies of several obstetrical risk factors for low birth weight infants. CONCLUSION: The present study showed a significantly increased frequency of low birth weight infants among HIV infected women and especially the subgroups of infected women who received no antepartum treatment, antepartum ZDV only, and those treated with PIs. This association, however, may be related to the presence of many other preterm obstetrical risk factors noted in this study. Increasing numbers of HIV seropositive women are being treated with PIs according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidelines. If PIs are a cause of low birth weight infants, women taking these drugs may have incremental risk of low birth weight.

Full Text

The Full Text of this article is available as a PDF (769.0 KB).

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

  1. Braddick M. R., Kreiss J. K., Embree J. B., Datta P., Ndinya-Achola J. O., Pamba H., Maitha G., Roberts P. L., Quinn T. C., Holmes K. K. Impact of maternal HIV infection on obstetrical and early neonatal outcome. AIDS. 1990 Oct;4(10):1001–1005. doi: 10.1097/00002030-199010000-00009. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Connor E. M., Sperling R. S., Gelber R., Kiselev P., Scott G., O'Sullivan M. J., VanDyke R., Bey M., Shearer W., Jacobson R. L. Reduction of maternal-infant transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 with zidovudine treatment. Pediatric AIDS Clinical Trials Group Protocol 076 Study Group. N Engl J Med. 1994 Nov 3;331(18):1173–1180. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199411033311801. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Flexner C. HIV-protease inhibitors. N Engl J Med. 1998 Apr 30;338(18):1281–1292. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199804303381808. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Guyer B., Martin J. A., MacDorman M. F., Anderson R. N., Strobino D. M. Annual summary of vital statistics--1996. Pediatrics. 1997 Dec;100(6):905–918. doi: 10.1542/peds.100.6.905. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Johnstone F. D., Raab G. M., Hamilton B. A. The effect of human immunodeficiency virus infection and drug use on birth characteristics. Obstet Gynecol. 1996 Sep;88(3):321–326. doi: 10.1016/0029-7844(96)00201-3. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Johnstone F. D. The effect of HIV infection on pregnancy outcome. Baillieres Clin Obstet Gynaecol. 1992 Mar;6(1):69–84. doi: 10.1016/s0950-3552(05)80118-x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Keirse M. J. Progestogen administration in pregnancy may prevent preterm delivery. Br J Obstet Gynaecol. 1990 Feb;97(2):149–154. doi: 10.1111/j.1471-0528.1990.tb01740.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Kuhn L., Abrams E. J., Matheson P. B., Thomas P. A., Lambert G., Bamji M., Greenberg B., Steketee R. W., Thea D. M. Timing of maternal-infant HIV transmission: associations between intrapartum factors and early polymerase chain reaction results. New York City Perinatal HIV Transmission Collaborative Study Group. AIDS. 1997 Mar 15;11(4):429–435. doi: 10.1097/00002030-199704000-00005. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  9. MacGregor S. N. Human immunodeficiency virus infection in pregnancy. Clin Perinatol. 1991 Mar;18(1):33–50. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Markson L. E., Turner B. J., Houchens R., Silverman N. S., Cosler L., Takyi B. K. Association of maternal HIV infection with low birth weight. J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr Hum Retrovirol. 1996 Nov 1;13(3):227–234. doi: 10.1097/00042560-199611010-00004. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Infectious Diseases in Obstetrics and Gynecology are provided here courtesy of Wiley

RESOURCES