Influence of HIV and its treatment on hypertensive disorders of pregnancy in women from a low- to middle-income country

Abstract

Objective: To establish a potential relationship between hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) and HIV infection. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study involving 300 women with HDP was undertaken from September 2018 to February 2019 in a regional hospital in Durban, South Africa, a setting with a background HIV prevalence of 45% among pregnant women. All women with new-onset elevation of blood pressure after the 20th week of pregnancy were enrolled and, following informed consent, the relevant information was extracted from their files. Results: Of the 300 women with HDP, the HIV prevalence was 30%, compared with the historical seroprevalence of 45% within the hospital (P = 0.028). For all categories of HDP, there were fewer primigravid women among women living with HIV (WLHIV), compared with those uninfected (30% vs 50.2%, respectively; P = 0.001). HDP developed later in gestation in WLHIV compared with uninfected women (32.6 weeks vs 34 weeks, respectively; P = 0.023), however, there were significant maternal complications of abruption and elevated liver enzymes among WLHIV (P = 0.02 and P = 0.014, respectively). Despite this, the perinatal outcomes were similar in both groups. Conclusion: HIV or its treatment seems to have a protective effect in the development of HDP; however, the complications of HDP may be significant in WLHIV receiving treatment.