EVALUATION OF PERINATAL HIV TRANSMISSION RISK FACTORS

Abstract

The outcomes of perinatal exposure to HIV in neonates born to HIV infected mothers were reviewed retrospectively to characterize perinatal HIV transmission risk factors and their effects on the possibility of HIV transmission to neonates. It was found that the routes of HIV contracting by mothers did not significantly influence perinatal HIV transmission. HIV detection in mothers immediately upon delivery was associated with a higher risk of HIV contracting by their babies compared with the cases of an earlier HIV detection, probably, because of the earlier onsets of chemopreventive interventions in the latter cases. Chemoprevention started at the 36th week of gestation or later was found to provide no benefits with regard to the reduced risk of perinatal HIV transmission compared with the cases of no chemoprevention throughout gestation. Breastfeeding was found to be associated with a significantly increased risk of HIV transmission. These findings made the basis to suggest criteria of the high risk of adverse outcomes of perinatal contact with HIV depending on the organisation of regular medical check-ups of pregnant women and provided evidence of the advantageousness of the earlier choice and onset of chemoprevention using triple therapy. The efficacies of complete and different variants of incomplete regimens of chemoprevention are compared in the present report.