High initiation and persistence on pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) has been documented in pregnant women in Cape Town, South Africa, with 91% of those offered PrEP starting it and nearly half of those continuing to take PrEP six months later. While women who had given birth and those reporting side effects were less likely to stay… Read More »
A US study has concluded that weight gain is greater by around 2 to 4 kg in HIV-positive people taking bictegravir or dolutegravir as part of their first antiretroviral therapy (ART), compared to their counterparts using other drug regimens. A similar effect was reported in those using the protease inhibitor darunavir. The study led by… Read More »
There is a high prevalence and incidence of hypertension (raised blood pressure) among HIV-positive people starting antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa, according to research published in PLOS One. A fifth of people were hypertensive when they started ART and a further 15% developed hypertension during follow-up. Traditional risk factors, including age over 40 years… Read More »
Another such review examined how the number of prenatal visits affected infant mortality. Seven studies involved more than 60,000 women in countries of varying income. There was no difference in high-income countries in the number of deaths of those who had more or fewer visits (although the number of deaths over all was low). In… Read More »