title: Antiretroviral treatment in pregnancy: a six-year perspective on recent trends in prescription patterns, viral load suppression, and pregnancy outcomes.
abstract: The aim of the study was to describe the recent trends in antiretroviral treatment in late pregnancy and the sociodemographic changes among pregnant women with HIV over the last 6 years. Data from the National Program on Surveillance on Antiretroviral Treatment in Pregnancy in Italy were grouped per calendar year, and changes in antiretroviral treatment, population characteristics, maternal immunovirologic status and newborn clinical parameters were analyzed. A total of 981 HIV-infected mothers who delivered between 2002 and 2008 were evaluated. The proportion of women receiving at least three antiretroviral drugs at delivery increased significantly from 63.0% in 2002 to 95.5% in 2007-2008, paralleled by a similar upward trend in the proportion of women who achieved complete viral suppression at third trimester (from 37.3 in 2002 to 80.9 in 2007-2008; p < 0.001). The co-formulation of zidovudine plus lamivudine remained the most common nucleoside backbone in pregnancy, even if a significant increase in the use of tenofovir plus emtricitabine was observed in more recent years. Starting from 2003, nevirapine prescription declined, paralleled by a significant rise in the use of protease inhibitors (PI), which were present in more than 60% of regimens administered in 2007-2008. Nelfinavir was progressively replaced by ritonavir-boosted PIs, mainly lopinavir. No significant changes in preterm delivery, Apgar score, birth weight, and birth defects were observed during the study period, and the rate of HIV transmission remained below 2%. These data demonstrate a significant evolution in the treatment of HIV in pregnancy. Constant improvements in the rates of HIV suppression were observed, probably driven by the adoption of stronger and more effective regimens and by the increasing options available for combination treatment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Research and Evaluation, Istituto Superiore di Sanità (ISS), Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Baroncelli
authors.forename: Enrica
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tamburrini
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ravizza
authors.forename: Serena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dalzero
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tibaldi
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ferrazzi
authors.forename: Gianfranco
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Anzidei
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fiscon
authors.forename: Salvatore
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Alberico
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Giuseppina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Placido
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Guaraldi
authors.forename: Carmela
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pinnetti
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Floridia
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004363:Drug Utilization / Q000639:trends*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D015497:HIV-1 / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000821:virology; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D019562:Viral Load; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000998:Antiviral Agents