Trends in zidovudine prescription for pregnant women infected with HIV

Objective: The purpose of this analysis was to describe trends in zidovudine prescription during pregnancy among women infected with HIV. Methods: We used data from the Adult and Adolescent Spectrum of Disease Surveillance Project, which collects information on HIV-related conditions through medical record review. Women who were reported pregnant from 1990 through 1996 were included in the analysis. Results: From 1990 through 1996, of 7047 women in the project, 711 (10%) were pregnant for a total of 782 pregnancies. We found a high proportion (82%) of pregnancies during which zidovudine was prescribed for women with CD4+ T-lymphocyte count of 0 to 199 cells/mu l (n = 125), but no trend over time. In contrast, from 1990 through 1996 zidovudine was prescribed for an increasing proportion of pregnancies in which the woman's CD4+ count was 200 to 499 cells/mu l (62%-78%; p = .01; n = 337) and greater than or equal to 500 cells/mu l (22%-55%; p = .001; n = 250). Conclusions: Our study demonstrated differences in zidovudine prescription over time by CD4+ count; these differences may be based on the woman's health and guidelines for perinatal prevention.