title: An important clinical lesson from a patient infected with HIV with diabetic nephropathy and retinopathy.
abstract: In resource-rich settings, advances in antiretroviral therapy have reduced the morbidity and increased the life expectancy of patients infected with HIV and consequently increased the likelihood of observing other non-HIV-related diseases in this group of patients. We report a high-risk pregnancy in a 26-year-old woman infected with HIV with complicated insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Because of maternal concomitant disease and concerns regarding potential antiretroviral toxicity on maternal disease, an abbreviated regimen of zidovudine prophylaxis was offered to prevent neonatal infection. After the iatrogenic preterm delivery of a healthy and uninfected baby, the patient experienced vulvar oedema and she is now waiting for renal transplantation.In conclusion, our case is one of a range of possible scenarios that may develop in pregnant women who are infected with HIV, reflecting the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART)-associated improvements in survival and health.
authors.affiliation: University of Naples Federico II, Obstetrics and Gynecology, via Pansini, 5, Naples, 80131, Italy.
authors.forename: Pasquale
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.forename: Annalisa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Agangi
authors.forename: Matilde
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sansone
authors.forename: Raffaele
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.forename: Giuseppe Maria
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Maruotti