Risk factors for HIV in pregnant women

Abstract

Worldwide, the number of childbearing women infected with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is rising. Early intervention can improve care for these women and reduce HIV transmission to their children. However, for intervention strategies to be effective, childbearing women at risk must be identified. HIV prevalence and risk factors vary widely from one region to another, and strategies for HIV testing must be tailored to local conditions. In this review, published data on HIV risk factors in pregnant women are presented by region, and implications for regional strategies for HIV testing in pregnant women are discussed.

The Burden of HIV Infection among Women Attending Antenatal Clinic in a Semi-urban Nigerian Town

“…Unsafe abortion with the risk of HIV infection in addition to its other complications is usually seen in this environment among the unmarried, uneducated, unemployed, nulliparous and students (19). This may explain why the HIVpositive patients had significantly more induced abortions (x 2 = 72.890; df = 3; p = 0.000), which is similar to findings from previous studies (12).…”

“…When HIV is more advanced, it results in an increase in certain pregnancy complications such as intrauterine growth retardation, preterm birth, and low birthweight. Obstetric factors like low parity, a history of termination of pregnancy, early age at first coitus and hospital delivery were identified as risk factors for HIV infection among pregnant women (12)(13)(14)(15).…”

Prevalence of HIV Antibodies in Pregnant Women With Increased Risk for AIDS

“…The risk factors for AIDS registered in our pregnant women were similar to those reported for both developed and developing countries (Smith & Hwang, 1996). The most interesting finding, however, was that a significant number of risk factors for AIDS also were found in the male partners (use of tattoos, migration to foreign countries, and use of injectable drugs).…”

“…Finally, in the United States, HIV seroprevalence among pregnant women and the salient risk factors show wide variation by race and region. As in Asia, the effectiveness of universal HIV screening would be impeded by limited access to care among high-risk women (Smith & Hwang, 1996).…”

Risk factors for HIV infection among asymptomatic pregnant women attending an antenatal clinic in western Kenya

“…This is in contrast to an increased rate of spontaneous abortion reported for HIV-infected women elsewhere in Africa 40 . Our study suggests that unlike women with more advanced disease, asymptomatic HIV infection may not signi® cantly increase the rate of foetal wastage 41 .…”