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AIDS Research and Therapy
Published in: AIDS Research and Therapy 1/2017

Open Access 01-12-2017 | Research

The developmental effects of HIV and alcohol: a comparison of gestational outcomes among babies from South African communities with high prevalence of HIV and alcohol use

Authors: Kirsten A. M. Donald, Anne Fernandez, Kasey Claborn, Caroline Kuo, Nastassja Koen, Heather Zar, Dan J. Stein

Published in: AIDS Research and Therapy | Issue 1/2017

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Abstract

Background

There is growing evidence of the negative impact of alcohol on morbidity and mortality of individuals living with HIV but limited evidence of in utero effects of HIV and alcohol on exposure on infants.

Methods

We conducted a population-based birth cohort study (N = 667 mother-infant dyads) in South Africa to investigate whether maternal alcohol use and HIV affected gestational outcomes. Descriptive data analysis was conducted for all variables using frequency distributions, measures of central tendency, and estimates of variance. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to determine whether maternal alcohol use, maternal HIV status and other risk factors (socioeconomic status, smoking, depression) predicted infant outcomes.

Results

Our results showed severity of recent alcohol use and lifetime alcohol use predicted low birth weight. Similarly lifetime alcohol use predicted shorter infant length, smaller head length, smaller head circumference, and early gestational age. However, HIV status was not a significant predictor of gestational outcomes.

Conclusions

The unexpected finding that maternal HIV status did not predict any of the gestational outcomes may be due to high rates of ART usage among HIV-infected mothers. The potentially negative effects of HIV on gestational outcomes may have been attenuated by improved maternal health due to high coverage of antiretroviral treatment in South Africa. Interventions are needed to reduce alcohol consumption among pregnant mothers and to support healthy growth and psychosocial development of infants.
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Metadata
Title
The developmental effects of HIV and alcohol: a comparison of gestational outcomes among babies from South African communities with high prevalence of HIV and alcohol use
Authors
Kirsten A. M. Donald
Anne Fernandez
Kasey Claborn
Caroline Kuo
Nastassja Koen
Heather Zar
Dan J. Stein
Publication date
01-12-2017
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
AIDS Research and Therapy / Issue 1/2017
Electronic ISSN: 1742-6405
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12981-017-0153-z

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