Pregnancy and Virologic Response to Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa
Author Information
Author(s): Westreich Daniel, Cole Stephen R., Nagar Shashi, Maskew Mhairi, van der Horst Charles, Sanne Ian
Primary Institution: Duke Global Health Institute, Duke University
Hypothesis
Pregnancy increases the risk of virologic failure in HIV-positive women receiving HAART.
Conclusion
Incident pregnancy after HAART initiation was associated with modest increases in both relative and absolute risks of virologic failure.
Supporting Evidence
- Pregnancy was experienced by 541 women in the study.
- 81 women experienced virologic failure after an incident pregnancy.
- 94% of women had a suppressed viral load at the time of incident pregnancy.
Takeaway
When women with HIV get pregnant after starting treatment, they might have a harder time keeping the virus under control.
Methodology
A prospective observational cohort study of adult women initiating HAART in Johannesburg, South Africa, followed until an event or administrative end of follow-up.
Potential Biases
Potential detection bias as pregnant women may receive more lab tests than non-pregnant women.
Limitations
Uncontrolled confounding cannot be ruled out, and data on fetal outcomes were not available.
Participant Demographics
The study included 5,494 women, primarily African ethnicity, with a median age of 34 years at HAART initiation.
Statistical Information
P-Value
1.34
Confidence Interval
95% CL 1.02, 1.78
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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