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Mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: Influence of parity and mode of delivery

  • Infectious Diseases
  • Original Paper
  • Published:
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Abstract

Abstract

In a national prospective study of risk factors for mother-tochild transmission of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), 316 children of HIV-positive mothers were followed up for at least 6 months. Infection status was determined in 254 of them and 46 were found to be infected giving a transmission rate of 18.1%. Univariate analysis of potential risk factors for mother-to-child transmission showed an association between primiparity and increased transmission rate: odds ratio 2.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.1–4.6,P<0.05. Analysis by logistic regression confirmed this association (adjusted odds ratio 2.4) and showed, in addition, a negative association between transmission rate and elective Caesarean section (adjusted odds ratio 0.36, 95% CI 0.13–0.97,P<0.05). The effect of primiparity was less pronounced in combination with elective Caesarean section (odds ratio 1.7) than with other delivery modes (odds ratio 2.5, difference not significant. HIV-infected children were less likely to experience the birth of a younger sibling during the observation period than their uninfected counterparts (2 of 46 vs 27 of 208,P<0.05 by logrank test).

Conclusions

Primiparous women appear to transmit HIV to their children at a higher rate. This could be explained by increased intrapartum transmission because of longer and more complicated labour in primiparas and/or by a self-selection of women with lower risk of transmission among those deciding to have additional children.

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Abbreviations

CI :

confidence interval

HIV :

human immunodeficiency virus type 1

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Children's Hospital, Zürich

    D. Nadal

  2. University Children's Hospital, Genève

    C. -A. Wyler & C. -A. Siegrist

  3. University Children's Hospital, Lausanne

    J. J. Cheseaux, B. Vaudaux & C. -L. Fawer

  4. University Children's Hosptial, Basel

    C. Rudin & U. B. Schaad

  5. University Children's Hospital, Bern

    C. Aebi

  6. Children's Hospital, St. Gallen

    C. Baumgartner

  7. Children's Hospital, Aarau

    H. E. Gnehm

  8. Children's Hospital, Luzern

    G. Schubiger

  9. Children's Hospital, Biel

    J. Klingler

  10. Division of Paediatrics, Kantonsspital, Winterthur

    U. Hunziker

  11. Division of Paediatrics, Hôpital Cantonal, Sion

    H. F. Kuchler

  12. Division of Paediatrics, Ospedale Civico, Lugano

    M. P. Gianinazzi

  13. Division of Paediatrics, Stadtspital Triemli, Zürich

    U. Bühlmann

  14. University Women's Hospital, Zürich

    K. Biedermann

  15. University Women's Hospital, Genève

    O. Irion

  16. University Women's Hospital, Lausanne

    G. Spoletin

  17. National Centre for Retroviruses, Zürich

    J. Schüpbach, J. Boni, J. Jendis & Z. Tomasik

  18. Abteilung für Neonatologie, Frauenklinik, Kantonsspital, Rorschacherstrasse 75, CH-9007, St. Gallen, Switzerland

    Christian Kind

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  1. Christian Kind
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  2. D. Nadal
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  7. C. -L. Fawer
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  8. C. Rudin
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  15. U. Hunziker
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  17. M. P. Gianinazzi
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  18. U. Bühlmann
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  19. K. Biedermann
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  20. O. Irion
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  21. G. Spoletin
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  22. J. Schüpbach
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  23. J. Boni
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  24. J. Jendis
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  25. Z. Tomasik
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Paediatric AIDS Group of Switzerland

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Kind, C., Paediatric AIDS Group of Switzerland., Nadal, D. et al. Mother-to-child transmission of human immunodeficiency virus type 1: Influence of parity and mode of delivery. Eur J Pediatr 154, 542–545 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02074831

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02074831

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