Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.

<h4>Introduction</h4>In utero exposure to HIV and/or antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been shown to be associated with stillbirth, preterm births, and low birth weight (LBW), but data from low-resource, high- HIV-burden settings remain limited. This study describes adverse pregnancy outc...

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Main Authors: Natalia Zotova, Athanase Munyaneza, Gad Murenzi, Gallican Kubwimana, Adebola Adedimeji, Kathryn Anastos, Marcel Yotebieng, CA-IeDEA consortium
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS) 2025-01-01
Series:PLoS ONE
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329312
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author Natalia Zotova
Athanase Munyaneza
Gad Murenzi
Gallican Kubwimana
Adebola Adedimeji
Kathryn Anastos
Marcel Yotebieng
CA-IeDEA consortium
author_facet Natalia Zotova
Athanase Munyaneza
Gad Murenzi
Gallican Kubwimana
Adebola Adedimeji
Kathryn Anastos
Marcel Yotebieng
CA-IeDEA consortium
author_sort Natalia Zotova
collection DOAJ
description <h4>Introduction</h4>In utero exposure to HIV and/or antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been shown to be associated with stillbirth, preterm births, and low birth weight (LBW), but data from low-resource, high- HIV-burden settings remain limited. This study describes adverse pregnancy outcomes among Rwandan women living with HIV (WLWH) and HIV-uninfected women and examines associations between HIV, ART timing, and LBW.<h4>Methods</h4>This retrospective cohort study used antenatal care, delivery, and PMTCT registry data from the Central Africa International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (CA-IeDEA). Women with documented HIV status and recorded birth weights were included. Adverse outcomes were defined as LBW (<2,500 g), stillbirth, and preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation). Logistic regression was used to assess associations between maternal HIV status, ART timing, and LBW, adjusting for relevant covariates.<h4>Results and discussion</h4>Among 10,191 women with known HIV status and babies' birth weights, 12.7% (n = 1,293) were WLWH. There were 47 stillbirths (0.5%) and 70 preterm births (0.7%). Among 10,037 term births, 366 (3.6%) were LBW. WLWH had significantly higher rates of stillbirth (0.6% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.05) and LBW (6.5% vs. 2.9%, p < 0.001) compared to HIV-uninfected women; preterm birth rates did not differ significantly. The adjusted odds of LBW among WLWH were 1.61 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.39), controlling for marital status, primigravidae, and maternal weight at admission. Among WLWH (n = 1,274), ART initiation prior to pregnancy was associated with 50% lower odds of LBW after adjusting for age and WHO stage.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Even among relatively healthy uncomplicated pregnancies in low-risk delivery settings and universal ART, WLWH experienced significantly higher rates of stillbirth and LBW. Among WLWH, initiation of ART prior to current pregnancy had a protective effect against LBW. This underscores the importance of early HIV diagnosis and initiation of ART.
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spelling doaj-art-4d264eb5a9854f07b8f2c6445db0663f2025-08-23T05:32:39ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032025-01-01208e032931210.1371/journal.pone.0329312Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.Natalia ZotovaAthanase MunyanezaGad MurenziGallican KubwimanaAdebola AdedimejiKathryn AnastosMarcel YotebiengCA-IeDEA consortium<h4>Introduction</h4>In utero exposure to HIV and/or antiretroviral therapy (ART) has been shown to be associated with stillbirth, preterm births, and low birth weight (LBW), but data from low-resource, high- HIV-burden settings remain limited. This study describes adverse pregnancy outcomes among Rwandan women living with HIV (WLWH) and HIV-uninfected women and examines associations between HIV, ART timing, and LBW.<h4>Methods</h4>This retrospective cohort study used antenatal care, delivery, and PMTCT registry data from the Central Africa International Epidemiology Databases to Evaluate AIDS (CA-IeDEA). Women with documented HIV status and recorded birth weights were included. Adverse outcomes were defined as LBW (<2,500 g), stillbirth, and preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation). Logistic regression was used to assess associations between maternal HIV status, ART timing, and LBW, adjusting for relevant covariates.<h4>Results and discussion</h4>Among 10,191 women with known HIV status and babies' birth weights, 12.7% (n = 1,293) were WLWH. There were 47 stillbirths (0.5%) and 70 preterm births (0.7%). Among 10,037 term births, 366 (3.6%) were LBW. WLWH had significantly higher rates of stillbirth (0.6% vs. 0.4%, p < 0.05) and LBW (6.5% vs. 2.9%, p < 0.001) compared to HIV-uninfected women; preterm birth rates did not differ significantly. The adjusted odds of LBW among WLWH were 1.61 (95% CI: 1.08, 2.39), controlling for marital status, primigravidae, and maternal weight at admission. Among WLWH (n = 1,274), ART initiation prior to pregnancy was associated with 50% lower odds of LBW after adjusting for age and WHO stage.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Even among relatively healthy uncomplicated pregnancies in low-risk delivery settings and universal ART, WLWH experienced significantly higher rates of stillbirth and LBW. Among WLWH, initiation of ART prior to current pregnancy had a protective effect against LBW. This underscores the importance of early HIV diagnosis and initiation of ART.https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329312
spellingShingle Natalia Zotova
Athanase Munyaneza
Gad Murenzi
Gallican Kubwimana
Adebola Adedimeji
Kathryn Anastos
Marcel Yotebieng
CA-IeDEA consortium
Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.
PLoS ONE
title Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.
title_full Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.
title_fullStr Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.
title_full_unstemmed Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.
title_short Low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with HIV and HIV-uninfected in Rwanda.
title_sort low birth weight and adverse pregnancy outcomes among women living with hiv and hiv uninfected in rwanda
url https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0329312
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