Influencing factors on the death of infants born to HIV infected mothers

Abstract

To understand the influencing factors on the death of infants born to HIV infected mothers in areas with high prevalence of HIV/AIDS in China. Based on the follow-up cohort study targeting at HIV/AIDS infected pregnant women and their babies initiated in 2004, a survey on the death status and influencing factors on the infants born to HIV/AIDS infected mothers enrolled in this cohort from Jan.2004 to Nov.2007 was carried out during Aug.to Nov.2008 in seven counties of four provinces in China. A total of 498 pairs of HIV-infected mothers and their infants were enrolled and their related information was collected. Single factor and multiple factors Cox model methods were adopted for data analysis. The total observed person-years of 498 infants was 406.22, among which, 45 infants died, and the mortality density was 110.78 per 1000 child-year. A single factor Cox model showed, the pregnancy in pre-period of HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS period (RR = 1.971, 95%CI: 1.143 - 3.396), living status of the pregnancy (RR = 3.062, 95%CI: 1.097 - 8.550), multipara women (RR = 0.517, 95%CI: 0.278 - 0.961), natural childbirth (RR = 0.561, 95%CI: 0.345 - 0.910), premature labor (RR = 5.302, 95%CI: 2.944 - 9.547), low birth weight (RR = 4.920, 95%CI: 2.691 - 8.994), mother-child pairs taking antiretroviral drugs (RR = 0.227, 95%CI: 0.121 - 0.428) and infants infected HIV (RR = 5.870, 95%CI: 3.232 - 10.660) could affect the infants death. The death of HIV-exposed infants was influenced by various factors. The death risk of infants born to HIV infected mothers who were in the danger of pre-period of HIV/AIDS and HIV/AIDS period was greater than the infants delivered by HIV infected mothers who were in preclinical period of HIV/AIDS (RR = 6.99, 95%CI: 1.92 - 25.64). The death risks were greater in the group that the women whose CD4(+)TLC count number lower than 200 cells/microl (RR = 2.05, 95%CI: 1.01 - 4.15). The infants whose mothers had no ARV treatment had higher possibility to die than the others (RR = 6.17, 95%CI: 1.62 - 23.26). The death risk of premature delivered infants was 2.87 times of mature delivered infants (95%CI: 1.12 - 7.35). The death risk of HIV/AIDS infected infants was 9.87 times of the HIV/AIDS uninfected infants (95%CI: 3.81 - 25.62). Some measurements including improving HIV-infected pregnant women's immunity, reducing mother to child transmission of HIV and premature birth, low birth weight are beneficial to reducing infant mortality.