Antiretroviral agents during pregnancy: Consequences on hematologic parameters in HIV-exposed, uninfected newborn infant

ObjectivesTo study the effect of antiretroviral drugs administered to pregnant women on hematologic parameters of the neonate.Study designA prospective cohort study was conducted on 52 neonates divided into three groups: ZDV group, infants born to HIV-infected mothers taking zidovudine (n = 18); triple therapy (TT) group, infants born to mothers taking zidovudine + lamivudine + nelfinavir (n = 22), and control group, infants born to normal women (n = 12). Umbilical cord blood from the newborn infant was used to determine hemoglobin, lymphocyte and platelet. Data were analyzed statistically by the nonparametric tests, with the level of significance set at p < 0.05.ResultsThe major maternal demographic and anthropometric data were homogeneous for the various groups. There was a reduction in hemoglobin levels at birth among TT group newborns (p = 0.016). There was no difference between groups regarding gestation length, Apgar scores, platelets or absolute lymphocyte count for the newborn.ConclusionsAn association between the use of combination antiretroviral therapy during pregnancy and reduced neonatal hemoglobin levels was observed, supporting the need for short- and long-term follow-up of infants exposed to antiretroviral drugs during uterine life.