| ORIGINAL ARTICLE |
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Year : 2010 | Volume : 30 | Issue : 1 | Page : 15-17 |
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Mother-to-child transmission of HIV: Experience at a referral hospital in Saudi Arabia
Jameela Edathodu, Magid M Halim, Muneera Bin Dahham, Abdulrahman A Alrajhi
Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence Address:
Abdulrahman A Alrajhi
Department of Medicine, King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre, MBC 46, PO Box 3354, Riyadh
Saudi Arabia
DOI: 10.4103/0.
PMID:
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Background and Objectives : The rate of mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) type 1 has been reported to be high in Saudi Arabia. We report the rate of such transmission among a cohort of HIV-infected women enrolled in an HIV program at a tertiary care facility in Riyadh. Methods : All HIV-infected women who became pregnant and delivered during their follow-up between January 1994 and June 2006 were included in this study. HIV viral load and CD4+ T-lymphocyte count near-term, the mode of delivery, and the HIV status of the newborn at 18 months were recorded. All women were counseled and managed according to the three-step PACTG 076 protocol. Results : Of 68 HIV-infected women in the cohort, 31 had 40 pregnancies; one aborted at 13 weeks gestation. The mode of delivery was elective cesarean delivery in 28 pregnancies (70%) at 36 weeks gestation, and 11 (27.5%) had normal spontaneous vaginal delivery. The median CD4+ T-lymphocyte count near-term was 536 cells per cubic millimeter and the median viral load for 25 pregnancies was 1646 copies/mL, with only nine pregnancies (22.5%) having viral loads of more than 1000 copies/mL. Fourteen pregnancies (35%) had undetectable HIV prior to delivery. All patients were taking antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and delivery. All 39 newborns tested negative for HIV infection at the age of 18 months; none of the newborns was breastfed. Conclusions : Contrary to previous local experience, diagnosis, management, and antiretroviral therapy almost eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV-1 in our patient population. |
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