Pregnancy outcome in HIV-1 positive women in Gandhi Memorial Hospital Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Between January 1993 and January 1995, a prospective case-control hospital-based study was done in ninety-two HIV seropositve and 173 HIV seronegative mothers for pregnancy outcome and complications associated with the pregnancy in Gandhi Memorial Hospital, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, The serostatus and seroconversion in the children born to the seropositive women was also assessed, The study showed that there was a significant difference in birthweight (p < 0.001), puerperal infections (p < 0.0001), duration of pregnancy (p < 0.001), and fifth minute APGAR score (p < 0.001) in the two groups of the study population, The study further indicated that the seroprevalence in the pregnant women was 20.4% and vertical transmission rate at 18 months was 68.5%, From the study one can conclude that HIV seropositivity adversely affects pregnancy out come.