OBJECTIVE: In view of recent suggestions that human immunodeficiency virus ( HI V) infection may protect against preeclampsia, this study was done to evaluate w hether untreated HIV-positive pregnant women have a lower rate of prceclampsia -eclampsia than HIV-negative women. METHODS: Subjects for this study were preg nant women from Soweto, South Africa, who gave birth from March to December 2002 at midwife-run clinics or at the Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital and in whom t he HIV status was known. A sample size calculation indicated that 2,588 subjects would be required to show statistical significance at P < .05 with a power of 8 0%for a reduction in the rate of preeclampsia from 8%to 5%with HIV seropositi vity, assuming an HIV seroprevalence rate of 30%. Data collection was by record review from randomly selected patient files and birth registers. RESULTS: In th e total sample of 2,600 women, 1,797 gave birth at the hospital and 803 at the m idwife-run clinics. The HIV seroprevalence rate was 27.1%. Hypertension was fo und in 17.3%of women, with 5.3%having preeclampsia-eclampsia. The rates of pr eeclampsia-eclampsia were 5.2%in HIV-negative and 5.7%in HIV-positive women (P = .61). CD4 count results were available for only 13 women (0.5%). CONCLUSI ON: Human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity was not associated with any redu ction in the risk of developing preeclampsia-eclampsia.
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