Morbidity in the first year postpartum among HIV-infected women in Kenya. | ICRH
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Morbidity in the first year postpartum among HIV-infected women in Kenya.
Authors and affiliation:
Chersich MF, International Centre for Reproductive Health – Kenya, Luchters SM, International Centre for Reproductive Health – Kenya,Yard E, International Centre for Reproductive Health – Kenya, Othigo JM, Coast Province General Hospital, Kley N, International Centre for Reproductive Health – Kenya and Temmerman M, International Centre for Reproductive Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Ghent University Hospital,Ghent, Belgium.
Ranking:
A1Team members:
Matthew Chersich, Caroline Njeru, Moka Saburi, Nicole Kley, Stanley Luchters.;
PubMedID:
17900585Published:
Int J Gynaecol Obstet. 2008 Jan; 100(1):45-51.Publication Date:
01/01/2008
OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of HIV infection on morbidity and the needs of infected women for services in the first year postpartum.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study with 500 women attending a child-health clinic in Mombasa, Kenya.
RESULTS: Postpartum duration was a median of 3.3 months (interquartile range, 1.9-6.1 months). The 54 HIV-infected women had a lower income and less financial support than the uninfected women, and they were more likely to experience fever, dyspnea, and dysuria, and to have genital warts (odds ratio [OR], 9.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.6-35.6; P<0.001), candidiasis (OR, 2.9; 95% CI, 1.2-6.8; P=0.012), and bacterial vaginosis (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 0.95-3.3; P=0.066). Six (nearly 15%) of the HIV-infected women had low- or high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions, and 21 (42%) had an unmet need for contraception. More than half of all women were anemic, and normocytic anemia was predominant among the HIV infected.
CONCLUSION: Compared with uninfected women, morbidity was increased for HIV-infected women during the year following delivery. This period could be used to offer these, and all-women, family planning services, cervical cancer screening, and treatment for anemia and reproductive tract infections.