Treating the HIV-Infected Pregnant Woman and Her Child

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

Treating the HIV-Infected Pregnant Woman and Her Child

AIDS Clinical Care (12/97) Vol. 9, No. 12, P. 91
Pitt, Jane; Cotton, Deborah

Abstract: In AIDS Clinical Care, authors Jane Pitt and Deborah Cotton review recent advances in perinatal and pediatric HIV infection and the effect of treatment guidelines for HIV- infected individuals on the care of HIV-infected pregnant women and children. Pitt and Cotton note that health experts are currently reviewing revisions to U.S. Public Health Service recommendations that address the issue of antiretroviral treatments for infected pregnant women. Although most pregnant women meet existing treatment guidelines, the lack of information about the use of many antiretroviral drugs during pregnancy and the complexity of combination therapies makes management difficult. Factors that should be considered when making treatment decisions may include the natural history of HIV RNA levels and the prognostic meaning of baseline HIV RNA levels in infants and children. The authors note that the basic principles guiding treatment modification for adults are also useful for infants and children. These include poor virologic response, toxicity, sustained increase in HIV RNA copy number, and disease progression. Furthermore, doctors not versed in HIV care should consult a specialist before treating HIV-infected women and their children.

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