VERTICAL TRANSMISSION RATES OF HUMAN-IMMUNODEFICIENCY-VIRUS - CONTROVERSIES AND COMPARISON OF RESULTS

Although all newborns to HIV-seropositive mothers have IgG anti-HlV an tibodies, since these antibodies cross the placental barrier, only a s mall proportion of these children are actually infected with the virus . The main objective of this study consisted in estimating the vertica l transmission rate of HIV in our environment. A prospective review wa s conducted of 236 children with HIV infection risk as they were born to HIV seropositive mothers. To calculate the mother-to child transmis sion we selected only 121 children controlled from birth and for a min imal time of 18 months at Hospital Infantil La Fe. Twenty-one out of t hese definitely classified 121 children were infected, representing a rate of 16.5%, similar to the rate reported in other European studies. By means of the stratified analysis some factors related to an increa sed transmission risk for HIV from mother to child were investigated. The possible causes that can explain the variability in the calculated rates for the different groups of investigation since the first pedia tric AIDS case was detected are also discussed.