Diagnosis of HIV infection in pregnancy: data from a national cohort of pregnant women with HIV in Italy

We analysed the characteristics of the pregnancies with a previously undetected HIV infection in a national observational study of pregnant women with HIV in Italy. In a total of 443 pregnancies with available date of HIV diagnosis, 118 were characterized by a previously undetected HIV infection (26\ub76%, 95% CI 22\ub75-30\ub78). The following factors were independently associated with this occurrence in a multivariate analysis (adjusted odds ratios; 95% CIs): foreign nationality (5\ub71, 2\ub78-9\ub73); no pre-conception counselling (35\ub79, 4\ub78-266\ub71); first pregnancy (2\ub71, 1\ub72-4\ub70); asymptomatic status (6\ub78, 1\ub75-30\ub76). Women with previously undetected infection started antiretroviral treatment significantly later during pregnancy (P