Antiretroviral Therapy and Adverse Pregnancy Outcomes in People Living with HIV

Abstract

(N Engl J Med. 2023;388:344–356) Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is detected in about 1.3 million pregnant individuals every year. The use of antiretroviral therapy (ART) is common in about 1.1 million (85%) of these cases. When ART is not prescribed, 15% to 30% of individuals born to those with HIV will develop HIV. Maternal zidovudine (ZDV), a 3-drug ART regimen, has been proven to reduce the number of infants who contract HIV from their mothers. ZDV decreases the rate of vertical transmission of HIV from 25.5% to 8.3%. This study aimed to show the key evidence in support of ART and to evaluate both contemporary and legacy methods of ART delivery to see how they compare.