Antiretroviral agents during pregnancy: consequences on hematologic parameters in HIV-exposed, uninfected newborn infant

Abstract

Objectives: To study the effect of antiretroviral drugs administered to pregnant women on hematologic parameters of the neonate.

Study design: A prospective cohort study was conducted on 52 neonates divided into three groups: ZDV group, infants born to HIV-infected mothers taking zidovudine (n=18); triple therapy (TT) group, infants born to mothers taking zidovudine+lamivudine+nelfinavir (n=22), and control group, infants born to normal women (n=12). Umbilical cord blood from the newborn infant was used to determine hemoglobin, lymphocyte and platelet. Data were analyzed statistically by the nonparametric tests, with the level of significance set at p<0.05.

Results: The major maternal demographic and anthropometric data were homogeneous for the various groups. There was a reduction in hemoglobin levels at birth among TT group newborns (p=0.016). There was no difference between groups regarding gestation length, Apgar scores, platelets or absolute lymphocyte count for the newborn.

Conclusions: An association between the use of combination antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and reduced neonatal hemoglobin levels was observed, supporting the need for short- and long-term follow-up of infants exposed to antiretroviral drugs during uterine life.