Weiner SM, Kaltenbach KA, Finnegan LP; International Conference on AIDS.
Int Conf AIDS. 1989 Jun 4-9; 5: 226 (abstract no. M.B.P.30).
Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
Women who are intravenous drug users or who are partners of intravenous drug users engage in behaviors that put them at high risk for developing human immuno deficiency virus infection. When the woman is pregnant, there is the additional problem of perinatal transmission to her unborn child. Data which included socioeconomic and psychological profiles as well as sexual and drug use habits was collected on 90 drug dependent pregnant women enrolled in a comprehensive treatment program in a study aimed at reducing HIV infection among IV drug abusing women and accordingly the perinatal transmission of AIDS. All the clients consented to confidential ELISA tests on initial evaluation and every 3 months while pregnant. Psychosocial profiles revealed that 53% had been subjected to physical or sexual abuse; 11% were homeless; and 46% were adult children of alcoholics or children of substance abusers. Drug histories showed that these women were addicted an average of 10 years: 62.5% were polydrug abusers and 35% used cocaine alone; 39% of the women are current IV drug users. Of those 90 women enrolled, 4.5% came into the project HIV positive, but without symptoms of HIV infection. None of the other 95.5% who tested negative at the outset seroconverted while participating in the project. As a result of this project, it is apparent that counseling women with regard to those specific risk factors must continue to reduce the incidence of perinatal HIV infection.
Publication Types:
Keywords:
- Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
- Adult
- Child
- Cocaine
- Counseling
- Female
- HIV Infections
- HIV Seropositivity
- Humans
- Incidence
- Pregnancy
- Pregnancy Complications, Infectious
- Risk Factors
- Substance Abuse, Intravenous
- Substance-Related Disorders
- Virus Diseases
Other ID:
UI: 102176883
From Meeting Abstracts