PURPOSE: to evaluate human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vertical transmission and risk factors related to perinatal infection. METHODS: descriptive study of 170 HIV-infected pregnant women and their 188 neonates, admitted from June 1994 to September 2004 at the "Maternidade do Hospital das Clínicas da UFMG". Demographic characteristics, mother's serologic state, mode of delivery and perinatal results were analyzed. Children were followed for 18 months after birth. Data were stored and analyzed by Epi-Info, version 6.0. Confidence interval was established at 95% (p<0.05). RESULTS: HIV infection was confirmed in 84 (45.4%) patients during gestation. Viral load was below 1,000 copies/mL in 60.4% patients. Highly active antiretroviral therapy was the predominant antiretroviral regimen (65.5%). C-section rate was high: 79.5%. Prematurity rate was 18.2%. There were 184 (97.8%) live births and four (2.2%) perinatal deaths among 188 neonates. Among live neonates 97.8% received zidovudine after birth. Global mother-to-child transmission rate was 3.8%. Virus vertical transmission rates for each period were: 60%, until 1996; 28% between 1996 and 1998; 0.68%, between 1999 and 2004. Significant risk factors were not found related to perinatal HIV-infection because there was a small number of infected neonates (n=6). CONCLUSION: there was a great reduction of HIV vertical transmission during the analyzed period. Current transmission rate is zero. This confirms that by adopting adequate measures perinatal virus transmission can be prevented.
HIV infections; Disease transmission, vertical; Pregnancy outcome; Pregnancy, high risk; Pregnancy complications, infectious
