The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of pregnancy on the level of adherence with antiretroviral (ARV) drugs, in a prospective cohort of 72 pregnant women and 79 non-pregnant women. Adherence was measured by pill counting and self-reporting. Women were deemed adherent if 95% or more of all ARV had been taken as prescribed, in two occasions. According to pill counting, 43.1 and 17.7% of pregnant and non-pregnant women, respectively, met the criteria of adherence (P = 0.001); in the postpartum, adherence declined to 20.6% (P = 0.002). In both groups, adherence rates by self-reporting were significantly higher as compared with pill counting (P = 0.001). In multivariate regression analysis, age >29 years (odds ratio [OR] 3.58, confidence interval [CI] 95% 0.10-0.75, P = 0.011), mean number of pills/day <6 (OR 2.53, CI 95% 1.07-6.01, P = 0.035), and being pregnant (OR 3.33, CI 95% 1.36-8.13, P = 0.008) were independently associated to greater adherence.

Patients with chronic hepatitis C are under risk of hepatitis E virus superinfection in São Paulo. Contact with pigs is a risk factor for the infection, suggesting a possible zoonosis with oral transmission.

HIV mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) is significantly reduced if antepartum viral load (apVL) is < 50 copies/mL. Pharmacokinetic studies suggest increasing the dosage of lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) in pregnancy. It is important to assess tolerance, safety, and rate of patients presenting a apVL < 50 copies/mL when treating with increased dose of LPV/r during pregnancy. Confirmed HIV-infected pregnant women with a fetus at a gestational age of 14-33 weeks were randomly assigned to receive LPV/r 400/100 or 600/150 mg b.i.d. plus two nucleoside analogues (NRTIs). Treatment was discontinued in the case of alanine transaminase (ALT) of grade III elevation or higher, glucose, or triglycerides. Thirty-two women were randomized to the LPV/r 400/ 100 mg dose, and 31 women were randomized to the 600/150 mg dose. Overall, 9.4% of the women receiving the conventional dose, and 17.2% receiving the increased dose, discontinued treatment because of adverse events ( p = 0.29). The rates of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, laboratory abnormalities, preterm delivery, and low birth weight were similar in both groups. There were no cases of HIV MTCT. Among the women with a baseline VL > 50 copies/mL assigned to the conventional dose group, 45% (95% confidence interval [CI] 62.5-27.5%) had a apVL > 50 copies/mL compared with 10.5% (95% CI 21.6-0.6%) of those assigned to the increased dose group ( p = 0.01). There was no significant difference found for the patients with a baseline VL < 50 copies/mL. In pregnant women with a baseline VL > 50 copies/mL, it may be warranted to initiate LPV/r dosing at 600/ 150 mg, whereas the conventional dose is sufficient for pregnant women with a baseline VL < 50 copies/mL.

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