title: Pregnancy outcomes in HIV-positive women in Ukraine, 2000-12 (European Collaborative Study in EuroCoord): an observational cohort study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Women living with HIV are potentially at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes, due to a range of factors, including immunosuppression, use of combination antiretroviral therapy (ART), and injecting drug use. Rates of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Ukraine have declined to around 2-4%, but little is known about other pregnancy outcomes in this setting. We used data from an observational prospective cohort study to assess pregnancy outcomes among HIV-positive women in Ukraine.
  
  
  METHODS
  The European Collaborative Study (ECS) in EuroCoord is a continuing cohort study, established in Ukraine in 2000. Eligible women are those with a diagnosis of HIV infection before or during pregnancy (including intrapartum) who deliver liveborn babies at seven sites. Maternal sociodemographic, HIV-related, and delivery (mother and infant) data were collected with study-specific questionnaires. We used Poisson regression models to identify factors associated with preterm delivery (before 37 weeks' gestation) and small weight for gestational age (less than the tenth percentile of weight for gestational age), based on complete cases.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between January, 2000, and July, 2012, data were collected on 8884 HIV-positive mother and liveborn infant pairs. Median maternal age was 26·5 years (IQR 23·1-30·3). 832 (11%) women had WHO stage 3 or 4 HIV and 1474 (17%) had a history of injecting drug use. 7348 (83%) had received antenatal ART. Among 7435 for whom ART type was available, 4396 (50%) had received zidovudine monotherapy and 2949 (33%) combination ART. Preterm delivery was seen in 780 (9%, 95% CI 8-9) of 8860 births overall and in 77 (9%, 7-11) of 889 babies with small size for gestational age. Factors associated with preterm delivery were history of injecting drug use (adjusted risk ratio 1·64, 95% CI 1·38-1·95), no ART (2·94, 2·43-3·57 vs zidovudine monotherapy), antenatal combination ART (1·40, 1·14-1·73 vs zidovudine monotherapy), WHO stage 4 HIV (2·42, 1·71-3·41 vs WHO stage 1), and being in the most socially deprived group (1·38, 1·11-1·71). Small size for gestational age was associated with history of injecting drug use (adjusted RR 1·39, 95% CI 1·16-1·65), most socially deprived (1·32, 1·09-1·61), no ART (1·60, 1·32-1·94 vs zidovudine monotherapy), and antenatal combination ART (1·33, 1·12-1·60 vs zidovudine monotherapy).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some risk factors for adverse pregnancy outcomes were directly associated with HIV and treatment and others were shared with the general antenatal population. Monitoring of pregnancy outcomes in Ukraine will be important as use of antenatal combination ART increases.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  European Union Seventh Framework Programme, Wellcome Trust.
authors.affiliation: Population, Policy and Practice Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bagkeris
authors.affiliation: Perinatal Prevention of AIDS Initiative, Odessa, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Ruslan
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Malyuta
authors.affiliation: Shupyk National Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education, Kiev, Ukraine.
authors.forename: Alla
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Volokha
authors.affiliation: Population, Policy and Practice Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cortina-Borja
authors.affiliation: Population, Policy and Practice Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bailey
authors.affiliation: Population, Policy and Practice Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK.
authors.forename: Claire L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Townsend
authors.affiliation: Population, Policy and Practice Programme, UCL Institute of Child Health, London, UK. Electronic address: claire.thorne@ucl.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Claire
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Thorne
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D019380:Anti-HIV Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D055030:Drug Users / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D015658:HIV Infections / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000635:transmission; D006801:Humans; D007165:Immunosuppression Therapy; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D018445:Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical / Q000517:prevention & control; D009035:Mothers; D011247:Pregnancy; D011251:Pregnancy Complications, Infectious / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014455:Ukraine / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D019380:Anti-HIV Agents