Trends in Zidovudine Prescription for Pregnant Women Infected With HIV

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Abstract
The purpose of this analysis was to describe trends in zidovudine prescription during pregnancy among women infected with HIV. We used data from the Adult and Adolescent Spectrum of Disease Surveillance Project, which collects information on HIV-related conditions through medical record review. Women who were reported pregnant from 1990 through 1996 were included in the analysis. From 1990 through 1996, of 7047 women in the project, 714 (10%) were pregnant for a total of 782 pregnancies. We found a high proportion (82%) of pregnancies during which zidovudine was prescribed for women with CD4+ T-lymphocyte count of 0 to 199 cells/microl (n = 125), but no trend over time. In contrast, from 1990 through 1996 zidovudine was prescribed for an increasing proportion of pregnancies in which the woman's CD4+ count was 200 to 499 cells/microl (62%-78%; p = .01; n = 337) and > or = 500 cells/microl (22%-55%; p = .001; n = 250). Our study demonstrated differences in zidovudine prescription over time by CD4+ count; these differences may be based on the woman's health and guidelines for perinatal prevention.