TY - JOUR
T1 - Zidovudine therapy of HIV-1 infection during pregnancy
T2 - Assessment of the effect on the newborns
AU - Ferrazin, Antonio
AU - Maria, Andrea De
AU - Gotta, Cristina
AU - Mazzarello, Giovanni
AU - Canessa, Andrea
AU - Ciravegna, Barbara
AU - Cirillo, Carmela
AU - Melica, Francesco
AU - Terragna, Alberto
PY - 1993
Y1 - 1993
N2 - Zidovudine (ZDV) administration during pregnancy has been suggested for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission. Reliable levels of the drug have been observed in the fetus and in the newborn. Seven HIV-1-infected pregnant women who declined to have abortions and whose immunological status required antiretroviral treatment were administered oral ZDV 18 mg/kg in four daily doses, the initial dose being administered anytime from the 16th to the 30th week of gestation up until the time of delivery. Follow-up of the seven infants from birth with a mean duration of 22 months (range 16-32 months) revealed mild drug-related toxicity: anemia in two infants and macrocytosis in all seven, both conditions resolved by the second month of life. All infants remained HIV-1 seronegative, according to the 1987 CDC classification, and all stayed clinically well. Other virological parameters including virus culture, in vitro antibody production, and polymerase chain reaction, repeatedly performed in the infants, remained negative. Although none of the mothers transmitted HIV-1 infection to the offspring, the size of this study and the relatively low transmission rate (13%) in Europe do not permit us to draw a definite conclusion about treatment efficacy in preventing maternalfetal transmission. However, the drug caused only limited toxicity among the infants, and its administration to large numbers of mothers in treatment trials should be considered relatively safe for both mother and child.
AB - Zidovudine (ZDV) administration during pregnancy has been suggested for the prevention of mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission. Reliable levels of the drug have been observed in the fetus and in the newborn. Seven HIV-1-infected pregnant women who declined to have abortions and whose immunological status required antiretroviral treatment were administered oral ZDV 18 mg/kg in four daily doses, the initial dose being administered anytime from the 16th to the 30th week of gestation up until the time of delivery. Follow-up of the seven infants from birth with a mean duration of 22 months (range 16-32 months) revealed mild drug-related toxicity: anemia in two infants and macrocytosis in all seven, both conditions resolved by the second month of life. All infants remained HIV-1 seronegative, according to the 1987 CDC classification, and all stayed clinically well. Other virological parameters including virus culture, in vitro antibody production, and polymerase chain reaction, repeatedly performed in the infants, remained negative. Although none of the mothers transmitted HIV-1 infection to the offspring, the size of this study and the relatively low transmission rate (13%) in Europe do not permit us to draw a definite conclusion about treatment efficacy in preventing maternalfetal transmission. However, the drug caused only limited toxicity among the infants, and its administration to large numbers of mothers in treatment trials should be considered relatively safe for both mother and child.
KW - HIV-1 prevention
KW - Mother-to-child HIV-1 transmission
KW - Pregnancy
KW - Zidovudine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0027480633&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0027480633&partnerID=8YFLogxK
M3 - Article
C2 - 8455142
AN - SCOPUS:0027480633
VL - 6
SP - 376
EP - 379
JO - Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
JF - Journal of Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndromes
SN - 1525-4135
IS - 4
ER -