Table 1.
Maternal Characteristics at Baseline.*
| Characteristic | Immediate Group (N = 477) |
Deferred Group (N = 479) |
|---|---|---|
| Median age (IQR) — yr | 29 (25–33) | 29 (24–33) |
| Ethnic group — no. (%)† | ||
| Black African | 436 (91.4) | 429 (89.6) |
| Black, of African origin | 8 (1.7) | 15 (3.1) |
| Indian or South Asian | 17 (3.6) | 15 (3.1) |
| Thai | 10 (2.1) | 12 (2.5) |
| Other Asian | 5 (1.0) | 8 (1.7) |
| Mixed, of predominantly African ancestry | 1 (0.2) | 0 |
| Country — no. (%) | ||
| Botswana | 60 (12.6) | 60 (12.5) |
| Haiti | 8 (1.7) | 15 (3.1) |
| India | 17 (3.6) | 16 (3.3) |
| South Africa | 91 (19.1) | 91 (19.0) |
| Tanzania | 41 (8.6) | 39 (8.1) |
| Thailand | 15 (3.1) | 18 (3.8) |
| Uganda | 83 (17.4) | 83 (17.3) |
| Zimbabwe | 162 (34.0) | 157 (32.8) |
| Gestation — no. (%) | ||
| 14 to <24 wk | 161 (33.8) | 160 (33.4) |
| 24 to ≤ 34 wk | 316 (66.2) | 319 (66.6) |
| Median body-mass index (IQR)‡ | 26 (23–30) | 26 (23–30) |
| Median CD4 count (IQR) — cells/mm3 | 491 (351–670) | 496 (355–669) |
| HIV RNA level below the lower limit of quantification — no./total no. (%) | 303/476 (63.7) | 299/478 (62.6) |
| WHO clinical stage 1 — no. (%)§ | 426 (89.3) | 419 (87.5) |
| Receipt of highly active antiretroviral therapy at entry — no. (%) | 476 (99.8) | 479 (100.0) |
| Efavirenz–tenofovir–emtricitabine or lamivudine | 401 (84.1) | 401 (83.7) |
| Efavirenz–zidovudine–lamivudine | 3 (0.6) | 8 (1.7) |
| Nevirapine–zidovudine or tenofovir–emtricitabine or lamivudine | 59 (12.4) | 61 (12.7) |
| Lopinavir or atazanavir–ritonavir with tenofovir or zidovudine–emtricitabine or lamivudine | 13 (2.7) | 9 (1.9) |
| Receipt of efavirenz only at entry — no. (%) | 1 (0.2) | 0 |
| Positive IGRA status — no./total no. (%) | 139/470 (29.6) | 144/472 (30.5) |
| Positive test for hepatitis B surface antigen — no./total no. (%) | 15/476 (3.2) | 18/479 (3.8) |
| Positive serologic test for hepatitis C — no./total no. (%) | 5/449 (1.1) | 4/445 (0.9) |
*
Percentages may not total 100 because of rounding. HIV denotes human immunodeficiency virus, IGRA interferon gamma release assay, and IQR interquartile range.
†
Ethnic group was reported by the participants and categorized by trained staff according to categories defined by the Division of AIDS of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.
‡
The body-mass index is the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters.
§
World Health Organization (WHO) stage 1 indicates asymptomatic HIV infection.