Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 1, 2026
Comprehensive & Cost Effective Laboratory Monitoring of HIV/AIDS: an African Role Model
Published on: October 31, 2010
Is screening for fetal anomalies reliable in HIV-infected pregnant women? A multicentre study
Philippe Brossard1, Michel Boulvain, Oriol Coll
1Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, University of Geneva Hospitals and Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland. philippebrossard@bluewin.ch
Objective:
To assess the impact of HIV infection on the reliability of the first-trimester screening for Down syndrome, using free beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin, pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and fetal nuchal translucency, and of the second-trimester screening for neural tube defects, using alpha-fetoprotein.
Patients And Methods:
Multicentre study comparing the multiples of the median of markers for Down syndrome and neural tube defect screening among 214 HIV-infected pregnant women and 856 HIV-negative controls undergoing a first-trimester Down syndrome screening test, and 209 HIV-positive women and 836 HIV-negative controls with a risk evaluation for neural tube defect. The influence of treatment, chronic hepatitis and HIV disease characteristics were also evaluated.
Results:
Multiples of the median medians for pregnancy-associated plasma protein-A and beta-human chorionic gonadotrophin were lower in HIV-positive women than controls (0.88 vs. 1.05 and 0.84 vs. 1.09, respectively; P < 0.005), but these differences had no impact on risk estimation; no differences were observed for the other markers. No association was found between HIV disease characteristics, antiretroviral treatment use at the time of screening or chronic hepatitis and marker levels.
Conclusion:
Screening for Down syndrome during the first trimester and for neural tube defect during the second trimester is accurate for HIV-infected women and should be offered, similar to HIV-negative women.