HIV AND CHILD-BEARING - CLINICAL OUTCOME AND ASPECTS OF MOTHER-TO-INFANT TRANSMISSION

Forty-four HIV-1-seropositive women and their children were followed-up and examined in connection with the course of pregnancy, mother-to-infant transmission of HIV and clinical outcome. Twelve out of 48 children were known to be infected and two children were lost to follow-up. Of the remaining 34 children, 22 are not infected, and 12 are clinically and immunologically normal at < 18 months. There was no difference in intrauterine growth between infected and uninfected children. Forty-six per cent of the 39 mothers seen after delivery progressed to a more advanced stage of HIV infection during a mean follow-up time of 33 months after delivery. Although comparable in age, clinical and immunological status at delivery, and follow-up time, mothers of infected children had longer durations of HIV infection and were symptomatic and/or had low CD4 cell counts to a significantly greater extent at follow-up than mothers of uninfected children.