Original Article
doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/1983-1447.2023.20220202.en
Sociodemographic profile and gestacional
aspects of women with hiv/aids in Curitiba, Brazil
Revista Gaúcha
de Enfermagem
Perfil sociodemográfico e aspectos gestacionais de mulheres com hiv/aids de Curitiba, Brasil
Perfil sociodemográfico y aspectos gestacionales de mujeres com vih/sida em Curitiba, Brasil
Mariana Perottaa
Saulo Vinicius da Rosaa
Gisele Pontaroli Raymundoa
Ruann Oswaldo Carvalho da Silvaa
Renata Iani Wernecka
Juliana Schaia Rocha Orsia
Samuel Jorge Moysésa
How to cite this article:
Perota M, Rosa SV, RaymundoGP,
Silva ROC, WerneckRI, Orsi JSR,
Moysés SJ. Sociodemographic profile
and gestacional aspects of women
with hiv/aids in Curitiba, Brazil. Rev
Gaúcha Enferm. 2023;44:e20220202.
doi: https://doi.org/10.1590/19831447.2023.20220202.en
ABSTRACT
Objective: To describe the sociodemographic and gestational profile of HIV-positive women in Curitiba-PR, years 2018-2020.
Method: Observational, cross-sectional research, with data obtained from the Information System of Diseases of Notification of
Pregnant Women. Data were analyzed for consistency exploration, description and analysis.
Results: The sample consisted mostly of women aged 13-30 years, white and with incomplete elementary school. Prenatal care
was performed by 93.8% of pregnant women, 66.1% of whom knew their serological status before prenatal care and 45% received
notification in the first gestational trimester. Access to antiretroviral medication occurred for 82.4% of pregnant women and for 74.6%
the pregnancy outcome was alive newborns. The statistical variables associated with prenatal care were pregnancy evolution, ART
prophylaxis, type of delivery and ART at delivery (p<0.00).
Conclusion: The pregnant women in the sample presented desired gestational indicators. The collected data allowed describing the
sample’s profile and evaluating the performance of the health policy for pregnant women.
Keywords: HIV. Pregnant women. Infectious disease transmission, vertical. Prenatal care. Anti-retroviral agents. Health policy.
RESUMO
Objetivo: Descrever o perfil sociodemográfico e gestacional de mulheres HIV positivo de Curitiba-PR, anos 2018-2020.
Método: Pesquisa observacional, transversal, com dados do Sistema de Informação de Agravos de notificação das gestantes. Os
dados foram analisados para exploração de consistência, descrição e análise.
Resultados: Amostra perfilou-se majoritariamente por mulheres brancas na faixa etária de 13-30 anos. Pré-natal foi realizado
por 93,8% das gestantes, sendo que 66,1% sabiam sua condição sorológica antes do pré-natal e 45% receberam a notificação no
1º trimestre. O acesso à medicação antirretroviral ocorreu para 82,4% das gestantes e para 74,6% o desfecho da gestação foi bebê
nascido vivo. As variáveis estatisticamente associadas ao pré-natal foram evolução da gravidez, profilaxia com antirretroviral, tipo de
parto e antirretroviral no parto (p<0,001).
Conclusão: As gestantes da amostra apresentaram indicadores gestacionais desejados. Os dados coletados permitiram descrever o
perfil da amostra e avaliar o desempenho da política de saúde para gestantes.
Palavras-chave: HIV. Gestantes. Transmissão vertical de doenças infecciosas. Cuidado pré-natal. Antirretrovirais. Política de saúde.
a
Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR), Faculdade de Ciências da Vida. Curitiba, Paraná,
Brasil.
RESUMEN
Objetivo: Describir el perfil sociodemográfico y gestacional de mujeres VIH positivas en Curitiba-PR, años 2018-2020.
Método: Investigación observacional, de corte transversal, condatos obtenidos del Sistema de Información de Enfermedades de
Notificación de la mujer embarazada. Los datos fueron analizados para exploración, descripción y análisis de consistencia.
Resultados: La muestra estuvo compuesta en su mayoría por mujeres de 13 a 30 años, blancas y con instrucción básica incompleta.
El control prenatal fue realizado por el 93,8% de las gestantes, siendo que el 66,1% conocía su estado serológico antes Del control
prenatal y el 45% recibió notificación en el 1er trimestre. El acceso a la medicación antirretroviral ocurrió para el 82,4% de las mujeres
embarazadas y para el 74,6% el resultado del embarazo fue nacido vivo. Las variables asociadas estadísticamente al control prenatal
fueron evolución del embarazo, profilaxis antirretroviral, tipo de parto y antirretroviral al parto (p<0,001).
Conclusión: Las gestantes de la muestra presentaron indicadores gestacionales deseados. Los datos recolectados permitieron
describir el perfil de la muestra y evaluar El desempeño de la política de salud de las mujeres embarazadas.
Palabras clave: VIH. Mujeres embarazadas. Transmisión vertical de enfermedad infecciosa. Atención prenatal. Antirretrovirales.
Política de salud.
Online Version Portuguese/English: www.scielo.br/rgenf
www.seer.ufrgs.br/revistagauchadeenfermagem
Rev Gaúcha Enferm. 2023;44:e20220202
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Perota M, Rosa SV, RaymundoGP, Silva ROC, WerneckRI, Orsi JSR, Moysés SJ
INTRODUCTION
The reality of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
(AIDS) epidemic and of contamination by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has been changing in Brazil and in
the world, reflecting on the epidemiological profile of people
living with HIV(1). Around the 1980s, the literature reported a
higher prevalence of infection in homosexual and bisexual
men. Over the years, there has been an increase in cases
among heterosexuals, which has increased the feminization
of the epidemic(2,3).
The increase in HIV infection among women, most of
whom are of childbearing age, is reflected in the increase
in the number of pregnant women infected with the virus(4).
Most diagnoses of HIV infection in women occur during
pregnancy, leading to the risk of vertical transmission, which
is the main route of contamination for children. According
to the 2019 clinical protocol of the Ministry of Health, in
planned pregnancies, with interventions properly performed
during prenatal care, delivery and breastfeeding, the risk of
HIV transmission can be reduced to less than 2%(5,6). However,
the World Health Organization (WHO) warns that without
this adequate planning, the risk ranges from 15% to 45%(7).
The inclusion of HIV testing during prenatal care provides
an opportunity for prophylactic actions, since knowledge of
the positive diagnosis guides health actions, such as choosing
the appropriate antiretroviral therapy (ART), planning the
type of delivery and early initiation of prophylaxis for exposed
newborns. Obviously, all of this aims to minimize the risk
factors for mother-to-child transmission and unfavorable
postnatal outcomes(8,9).
Communicable diseases that have a great impact on the
population, such as AIDS, must be brought to the attention
of health authorities in order to guide public policies. This
occurs through compulsory notification. The diagnosis of
HIV infection and the establishment of AIDS are part of the
national list of compulsory notification of diseases. AIDS
reporting has been mandatory since 1986, HIV infection in
pregnancy since 2000, and HIV infection since 2014. In Brazil,
from 2000 to June 2021,141,025 pregnant women infected
with HIV were notified(10).
The analysis of data from the epidemiological profile of
HIV-positive pregnant women contributes to a better contextual understanding of the health of women and pregnant
women, with impact on the health of their babies. The city
of Curitiba, PR, has a well-structured prenatal program that
includes HIV-positive pregnant women. However, in the
literature search performed no study on data from these
pregnant women was found allowing the description of
a sociodemographic and gestational profile, capable of
contributing to the refinement of public policies. Thus, the
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Rev Gaúcha Enferm. 2023;44:e20220202
following guiding questions were proposed: what is the
profile of HIV-positive pregnant women in Curitiba-PR? Are
the gestational indicators favorable?
Therefore, the present study aimed to describe the sociodemographic and gestational profile of HIV-positive women
in the city of Curitiba-PR, in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
METHOD
Observational epidemiological study, with a quantitative,
cross-sectional approach, using secondary databases, i.e.
from public health information systems.
The research project was approved by the Research
Ethics Committee of PUCPR and by the Research Ethics
Committee of Secretaria Municipal de Saúde, of Curitiba,
under Protocol no 4,410,964.
The database used was the SINAN (Notifiable Diseases
Information System) base with data referring to the notification forms of HIV-positive pregnant women and also
the notification of AIDS for adults, which includes pregnant women. As these data are confidential, collection
was only carried out after approval by the Research Ethics
Committee. A single researcher went to the Municipal
Health Department of Curitiba where a professional from
the epidemiology sector accessed the SINAN database.
Data were collected by the researcher directly from the
SINAN spreadsheet.
Data were collected from all pregnant women diagnosed
with HIV positive who were notified in 2018, 2019 and 2020,
thus characterizing the study population. Inclusion criteria
were having being notified as an HIV-positive pregnant women during the study period by the municipality of Curitiba-PR,
and Curitiba is a reference in care for people living with HIV
for some municipalities in the metropolitan region.
The collected data were organized according to pre-established variables such as: sociodemographic (age, race/
ethnicity, education, city of residence) and gestational factors
(time of infection diagnosis, trimester in which notification
was made, prenatal care, use of antiretroviral medication
during pregnancy, type of delivery, whether antiretroviral
medication was used during childbirth, what was the evolution of the pregnancy, when the baby started antiretroviral
medication and how the pregnant woman became infected
with HIV).
The data were recorded in a Microsoft Excel® spreadsheet,
and participants’ anonymity was guaranteed. Then, the data
were exported to the SPSS statistical software (IBM Statistic
25.0®)(11) for consistency exploration, description and analysis. Tests were performed to verify possible associations or
differences between proportions, especially regarding the
aspect of prenatal care and other study variables. Pearson’s
Sociodemographic profile and gestacional aspects of women with hiv/aids in Curitiba, Brazil
chi-square test was used followed by the two proportion
Z-test to determine whether two proportions are different
from each other with Bonferroni correction (p<0.05).
RESULTS
From 2018 to 2020, in the city of Curitiba, Paraná,307 HIVpositive pregnant women were notified on SINAN. According
to the notifications, most of these pregnant women were
aged 13-30 (58.3%); were white (74.6%) and had incomplete
primary education (24.4%) (Table 1).
Most pregnant women (81.1%) lived in Curitiba (Table 1),
and there were pregnant women residing in all 10 Sanitary
Districts of the city (Table 2).
Regarding the obstetric variables of the 307 pregnant
women in the sample, most of them discovered their
Table 1 – Frequency distribution of sociodemographic data of pregnant women in the sample (n=307). Curitiba, Paraná,
Brazil, 2022
Variable
n
Percentage
13-30 years
179
58.3%
31- 49 years
127
41.4%
1
0.3%
307
100.0%
White
229
74.6%
Black
62
20.2%
Yellow
7
2.3%
Did not answer
9
2.9%
307
100.0%
Incomplete primary education
75
24.4%
Complete primary education
34
11.1%
Incomplete secondary education
42
13.7%
Complete secondary education
59
19.2%
Incomplete higher education
16
5.2%
Complete higher education
7
2.3%
Ignored
74
24.1%
Total
307
100.0%
Curitiba
249
81.1%
Another municipality
56
18.2%
Did not answer
2
0.7%
307
100.0%
Age
Did not answer
Total
Race/ethnicity
Total
Education
Municipality of residence
Total
Source: Research data, 2018-2020.
Rev Gaúcha Enferm. 2023;44:e20220202
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Perota M, Rosa SV, RaymundoGP, Silva ROC, WerneckRI, Orsi JSR, Moysés SJ
serological status before prenatal care (66.1%); was notified
as an HIV-positive pregnant woman in the 1st trimester (45%);
attended prenatal care (93.8%); took antiretroviral medication
(82.4%); had an elective cesarean section (45%); used ART at
the time of delivery (65.1%) and became sexually infected
with HIV (68.1%) (Table 3).
Table 2 – Frequency distribution of pregnant women in the sample according to the Sanitary District of residence (n=307).
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 2022
Sanitary District
n
Percentage
Bairro Novo
39
12.7%
Boa Vista
39
12.7%
CIC
39
12.7%
Cajuru
30
9.8%
Tatuquara
25
8.1%
Matriz
20
6.5%
Boqueirão
19
6.2%
Pinheirinho
17
5.5%
Portão
15
4.9%
Santa Felicidade
6
2.0%
Not informed
2
0.7%
Another municipality
56
18.2%
Total
307
100%
Source: Research data, 2018-2020.
Table 3 – Frequency distribution of the obstetric variables of the pregnant women in the sample (n=307). Curitiba, Paraná,
Brazil, 2022
Variable
n
Percentage
Before prenatal care
203
66.1%
During prenatal care
92
30.0%
During childbirth
9
2.9%
After delivery
3
1.0%
307
100.0%
1st trimester
138
45.0%
2nd trimester
84
27.3%
3rd trimester
78
25.4%
Unknown gestational age
7
2.3%
307
100.0%
Diagnosis of HIV infection
Total
Notification as HIV positive pregnant woman
Total
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Sociodemographic profile and gestacional aspects of women with hiv/aids in Curitiba, Brazil
Table 3 – Cont.
Variable
n
Percentage
Yes
288
93.8%
No
13
4.2%
Did not answer
6
2.0%
307
100.0%
Yes
253
82.4%
No
26
8.5%
Did not answer
19
6.2%
Unknown
9
2.9%
307
100.0%
Elective cesarean section
138
45.0%
Vaginal
84
27.4%
Emergency cesarean section
16
5.2%
Not applicable
11
3.6%
Did not answer
58
18.8%
Total
307
100.0%
Sexual
209
68.1%
Could not inform
95
31.0%
Drugs
1
0.3%
Transfusion
1
0.3%
Vertical
1
0.3%Va
307
100.0%
Yes
200
65.1%
No
42
13.7%
Unknown
65
21.2%
Total
307
100.0%
Received prenatal care
Total
Didantiretroviral prophylaxis
Total
Type of delivery
Route of contamination of the pregnant woman
Total
Antiretroviral use in childbirth
Source: Research data, 2018-2020.
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Perota M, Rosa SV, RaymundoGP, Silva ROC, WerneckRI, Orsi JSR, Moysés SJ
Regarding the babies, for 74.6% of the pregnant women,
the outcome was live births and 71% started ART in the first
24 hours after delivery (Table 4).
The results demonstrated a statistical significance between
the performance of prenatal care and the positive evolution
of the pregnancy, prophylaxis with ART, type of delivery and
use of ART at the time of delivery (p<0.001) (Table 5).
Table 4 – Frequency distribution of obstetric variables related to the babies of pregnant women in the sample (n=307).
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, 2022
Variable
n
Percentage
Born alive
229
74.6%
Stillbirth
2
0.7%
Miscarriage
16
5.2%
Not applicable
6
2.0%
Unknown
54
17.5%
Total
307
100.0%
Within the first 24 hours
218
71.0%
After the initial 24 hours
2
0.7%
Not applicable
19
6.2%
Not performed
4
1.3%
Unknown
8
2.6%
Not answered
56
18.2%
Total
307
100.0%
Evolution of pregnancy
Beginning ART baby
Source: Research data, 2018-2020.
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Sociodemographic profile and gestacional aspects of women with hiv/aids in Curitiba, Brazil
Table 5 – Tests of differences in obstetric variables of pregnant women with HIV, according to prenatal care (n=307). Curitiba,
Paraná, Brazil, 2022
Variables
Total
Received prenatal care
n (%)
yes (%)
no (%)
Born alive
229 (74.6%)
220a (96.1%)
9b (3.9%)
Stillbirth
2 (0.7%)
1a (50%)
1b (50%)
Miscarriage
16 (5.2%)
12a (75%)
4b (25%)
Not applicable
6 (2.0%)
6a (100%)
0a (0%)
54 (17.5%)
49a (90.7%)
5b (9.3%)
Yes
253 (82.4%)
253a (100%)
0b (0%)
No
26 (8.5%)
26a (100%)
0a (0%)
Unknown
9 (2.9%)
9a (100%)
0a (0%)
Not answered
19 (6.2%)
0a (0%)
19b (100%)
Vaginal
84 (27.4%)
77a (91.7%)
7a (8.3%)
Elective cesarean section
138 (45.0%)
137a (99.3%)
1b (0.7%)
Emergency cesarean section
16 (5.2%)
14a (87.5%)
2a (6.3%)
Not applicable
11 (3.6%)
7a (63.6%)
4b (36.4%)
Not answered
58 (18.8%)
53a(91.4%)
5b (8.6%)
Yes
200 (65.1%)
196a (98%)
4a,b(2.0%)
No
42 (13.7%)
32a (76.2%)
10b (23.8%)
Unknown
65 (21.2%)
60a(92.3%)
5b(7.7%)
P value
Evolution of pregnancy
Unknown
<0.001
Antiretroviral prophylaxis
< 0.001
Type of delivery
< 0.001
ART at birth
< 0.001
Source: Research data, 2018-2020.
Pearson’s chi-square test followed by two-proportion Z-test with Bonferroni correction (p<0.05).
Equal letters indicate statistically non-significant difference between the columns for each category of the variable in the lines.
Rev Gaúcha Enferm. 2023;44:e20220202
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Perota M, Rosa SV, RaymundoGP, Silva ROC, WerneckRI, Orsi JSR, Moysés SJ
DISCUSSION
In Curitiba, from 2018 to 2020,307 HIV-positive pregnant
women were notified on SINAN. There is no information
regarding the vertical transmission rate in the notifications.
However, according to the Epidemiological Bulletin of
Curitiba, the HIV infection rate in children under 18 months
ranged from 2.1% in 2018, 1.1% in 2019 to zero in 2020(5).
As for race/ethnicity (self-declared skin color, according
to IBGE criteria), for cases registered nationally in SINAN
from 2007 to June 2018, there was a higher prevalence of
HIV-positive white pregnant women (46.1%)(8), as among
the pregnant women in the sample of the present study.
Although most of the Brazilian population (47%) is self-declared brown, according to the 2021 National Household
Sample Survey (PNAD)(12), this prevalence can be explained by
the fact that the Southeastern and Southern regions, where
there is a greater predominance of white population, are the
regions with the highest prevalence of HIV-positive pregnant
women in Brazil, with 37.4% and 29.5%, respectively(8).
Most (58.3%) of the pregnant women in the sample
are aged between 13 and 30 years. Although this data is
alarming because it concerns young women, it is expected
as the referred age group corresponds to the reproductive
age, and is consistent with national data in which the age
group with the highest prevalence of HIV-positive pregnant
women is 20-24 years old (27.5%)(8).
Notification forms for adults with AIDS, as well as for
HIV-positive pregnant women, do not collect income-related data. However, studies claim that young women with
low socioeconomic status and few years of education are
a vulnerable group for perinatal infection, both due to lack
of knowledge about factors related to infection and lack of
recognition of the importance of prenatal care(1,2,13).
Regarding the City of Curitiba, specifically, it is divided
into 10 Health Districts. They are geographic and administrative areas composed of population groups with different
epidemiological and social characteristics, which define social
inequalities reflected in general health and care needs, as
well as the health resources to meet such needs. The Bairro
Novo, Boa Vista and CIC districts each had 39 pregnant women notified with HIV, representing together 38.1% of the
sample. In the evaluation of the average income indicator
of families in the Districts, in 2010, the average income of
these three Districts were below the average income of the
municipality of Curitiba (BRL 3,774.19). Also, the income
of Bairro Novo and CIC Districts were two lowest incomes
among the 10 Districts(14).
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According to data from the Institute for Research and
Urban Planning of Curitiba (IPPUC) (14), Boa Vista District is
the most populous and, although Bairro Novo District is
the least populated, it was the one with the highest growth
(16.97%) in the 2000-2010 period. Some studies also report
low education and low income as indicators that impact
the evolution of diseases, both due to the difficulty in understanding the information provided by professionals and
the few opportunities for these people to have a paid job
that improves their quality of life(1,13,15,16).
The vulnerability of women to HIV infection can be influenced by objective and subjective factors, with emphasis
in some cases on the low level of education, irregular use of
condoms, or multiple partners. Women are at a particular
risk of HIV infection and disease progression due to a set of
biopolitical factors that still affect their bodies and sexuality(17).
Biological factors that contribute to women’s special vulnerability include hormonal, developmental, and immunological
characteristics. Social and political factors such as poverty,
gender power relations and violence interact with biological
factors to create a risk profile for HIV among women(18).
In a national hospital-based study called “Nascer no Brasil”
on HIV-positive pregnant women, of the 74 pregnant women
in the sample, 84.0% were diagnosed with HIV before and
during prenatal care, 95.8% attended at least one prenatal
consultation. -natal and 74.9% used antiretroviral medication
during pregnancy(6). In the sample of the present study, the
following data related to the diagnosis: having occurred
before and during the prenatal period (96.1%) and pregnant women having used ART (82.4%) were better than
the national data, however, although the rate of pregnant
women who underwent prenatal care in Curitiba (93.8%)
was very good, it was slightly below the national study, but
above other studies, such as a study in Amapá(19) which was
81 .8%, a study in Alagoas(2) which was 84.7% and from the
study in Paraíba(20) which was 89%.
It should be noted, though, that despite the high percentage of pregnant women who underwent prenatal care,
this is not necessarily synonymous with quality, as there are
criteria such as number of consultations, carrying out laboratory tests, etc. for assessing this quality(19). However, SINAN
data only informs whether or not a woman had prenatal
care. It does not allow assessing the quality of prenatal care.
Regarding prenatal data, it was found that a considerable
percentage of pregnant women had prenatal care, but 13
pregnant women (4.2%) did not and this is also relevant. In
addition to contributing to the identification of gestational
risk and the adequate monitoring of pregnant women, such
Sociodemographic profile and gestacional aspects of women with hiv/aids in Curitiba, Brazil
data may be related to the lack of knowledge of pregnant
women about their serological condition(21). These 13 pregnant women who did not undergo prenatal care were mostly
(76.9%) aged 31-49 years, white (53.8%), with incomplete/
complete primary education (30.8%), lived in the CIC health
district (38.5%), 53.8% underwent vaginal delivery, and in
61.5% of the pregnancies the outcome was a live birth, and
in 76.9% ART was not performed at the time of delivery. It
should be stressed that more than half of these pregnant
women had a vaginal delivery and 76.9% did not receive
antiretroviral medication at the time of delivery, conditions
directly related to the risk of vertical transmission.
In the 2016 United Nations(22) General Assembly Political
Declaration on Ending AIDS, the commitment of countries
to implement the 90-90-90 treatment target was signed.
According to this target by 2020, 90% of all people living with
HIV would know their serological status, 90% of people with
a positive HIV diagnosis would be receiving continuous ART,
and 90% of people receiving ART would have suppressed
viral loads. Regarding the pregnant women in the present
sample, this goal was achieved in terms of knowledge of the
serological status, as 96.1% of the pregnant women found
out about their infection before and/or during prenatal care;
however, the goal of using antiretroviral medication was not
reached by 90% of the sample.
SINAN data do not report the viral load of pregnant
women, which prevents the assessment of compliance
with the latest WHO target. The absence of this data makes
it impossible to assess another condition, as the clinical
protocol of the Ministry of Health(23) advises that pregnant
women who have an undetectable viral load close to delivery
should not undergo an elective cesarean section, and that
the mode of delivery be chosen by obstetric indication.
The percentage of elective cesarean sections in the present
study was the highest (45%) among the modes of delivery,
but without viral load data, it cannot be affirmed that the
indications were correct. This situation was also described
in other studies (1,2,4,20,24).
As for laboratory evidence, most pregnant women already knew about their HIV infection before prenatal care
(66.1%) or learned about their diagnosis during prenatal
care (30%). This is valuable and reinforces the importance
of monitoring the pregnancy, as it facilitates the initiation of
ART to control the viral load and reduce the risk of vertical
transmission. However, it is also important to reflect on the
pregnant women who found out about their serological
status during childbirth(9) and after childbirth(3) and seek to
identify where the fragility or failure is in the care network in
terms of prenatal coverage and rapid HIV tests(13,24).
Although for most HIV-positive pregnant women notification was made in the 1st trimester of pregnancy, it should
be noted that more than half of them, 52.5%, made the
notification in the 2nd and 3rd trimesters, which contributes
to a delay in the initiation of ART and can be perceived as a
late search for these pregnant women, impacting not only
the management of HIV infection but also other systemic
conditions of pregnancy(13,24).
The results showed statistical significance between receiving prenatal care and positive evolution of the pregnancy,
prophylaxis with ART, type of delivery and use of ART at the
time of delivery. This shows that prenatal care contributes
to a favorable pregnancy outcome (baby born alive) and
access to antiretroviral medication, and is essential for the
search for actions and services that support the health of
HIV-positive pregnant women and their children, as the use
of ART, both during pregnancy and at the time of delivery,
is essential to ensure a low or undetectable viral load in
pregnant women, so that they are healthy and at little or no
risk of transmitting the virus to their babies(s4,13). However, it
should be noted that all 26 pregnant women who did not
use ART during pregnancy received prenatal care, that is,
this could mean both a failure in service management and
in filling out the notifications.
Of all HIV-positive pregnant women, 65.1% received
antiretroviral medication at delivery and 71% of newborns
received ART within the first 24 hours. This result was worse
than that obtained by a national hospital-based study(6), but
better than the results of studies in Rio de Janeiro(25) and
Santa Catarina(26).
The main route of HIV contamination informed by the
pregnant women in the sample was sexual, which is the
main route of contamination reported in the literature(1,27),
and 31% of the pregnant women said they did not know
how to inform how they became infected. The diagnosis
of HIV is still associated with behavioral taboos, according
to which women cannot enjoy their sexuality freely. When
they find out they are seropositive, they can be stigmatized
for not following the norms established by the patriarchal
society, being seen as “deserving” of the infection. Moreover,
women living with HIV may be experiencing contexts of social
vulnerability and violence as one of the characteristics of the
dynamics of HIV/AIDS in the female universe, suggesting
that this infection is part of a context of gender inequality
and social exclusion already experienced previously(27–29).
Vertical transmission of HIV is the main route of contamination of children, and its elimination is essential in the management of the epidemic and one of the objectives of prenatal care programs. According to the guide for certification
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Perota M, Rosa SV, RaymundoGP, Silva ROC, WerneckRI, Orsi JSR, Moysés SJ
of elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and/or
syphilis from the Ministry of Health(30), the following minimum
criteria must be met for obtaining the certification: achieve
and maintain the goals of impact indicators for at least one
year (last year) and the goals of the process indicators for
at least two years (last two years); have a surveillance and
monitoring system; implement an investigation committee
for the prevention of vertical transmission of HIV and/or
syphilis; prove that all appropriate preventive measures have
been taken; safeguard fundamental human rights, including
the right to health and its social determinants.
In December 2017, Curitiba was the first city in Brazil
to receive the certificate of elimination of mother-to-child
transmission of HIV. It can be said that this certification process began with the “Mãe Curitibana Vale a Vida” Program
implemented in March 1999, as it was in this program that
the HIV testing protocol was instituted. Another innovative
initiative was to make HIV testing in all health units available
for the general population, starting in 2001. In 2007, the rapid
test was included in maternity hospitals and HIV infection
managed in primary care. Also, with the notification of HIV
infection, it was possible to understand more quickly and
assertively the paths of the epidemic, as well as to implement
better approach strategies(5).
Curitiba’s AIDS/HIV Epidemiological Bulletin, dated
December 2021, which includes data up to December 2020,
informs that in 2019 the city was reassessed and certification
was maintained based on data from 2017 and 2018. It is also
stressed there that according to the criteria or for maintenance of certification, cases of vertical transmission through
breastfeeding or of pregnant women who underwent prenatal care in another municipality are not considered(5).
The limitations of this study concern the use of secondary data that may contain underreporting, inconsistencies
and incompleteness due to inadequate completion of the
reporting forms and the system feed, in addition to the absence of relevant information. However, previous care was
taken, whether in data extraction or in the final consistency
of the analyzed base so that the information generated was
reliable and relevant to the purpose of the study.
CONCLUSION
Pregnant women from Curitiba, Paraná, diagnosed with
HIV had desirable gestational indicators, such as undergoing
prenatal care, reporting HIV infection in the 1st trimester,
taking antiretroviral medication during pregnancy and at
the time of delivery, as well as obtaining certification of
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elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV. In any
case, knowing and analyzing in more detail the data related
to these pregnant women made it possible to establish their
sociodemographic profile more clearly, which can help in
making decisions about more inclusive measures for that
group identified as the most vulnerable. Gestational data
made it possible to assess the effectiveness of prenatal care,
but mainly to observe pregnant women who were unable
to receive the best line of care, and thus guide the necessary
public policy measures for the inclusion of these women,
seeking the best social and epidemiological outcomes.
More detailed knowledge about data from smaller groups
of HIV-positive pregnant women, in addition to helping in
the evaluation of the prenatal program, allows these data
to be discussed with the results of other studies and other
prenatal programs, and thus contribute to the refinement of
public policies, raising interest in the development of new
studies with this group of patients.
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Perota M, Rosa SV, RaymundoGP, Silva ROC, WerneckRI, Orsi JSR, Moysés SJ
Acknowledgments:
The present study was conducted with the support
of the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher
Education Personnel – Brazil (CAPES) – Financing Code
001.
Authorship contribution:
Project management: Mariana Perotta, Samuel Jorge
Moysés.
Conceptualization: Samuel Jorge Moysés, Juliana
Schaia Rocha Orsi, Renata Iani Werneck.
Data curation: Mariana Perotta, Samuel Jorge Moysés.
Writing– original draft: Saulo Vinicius da Rosa, Ruann
Oswaldo Carvalho da Silva, Gisele Pontarolli Raymundo,
Mariana Perotta.
Writing–reviewandediting: Mariana Perotta, Renata
Iani Werneck, Juliana Schaia Rocha Orsi, Samuel Jorge
Moysés.
Investigation: Mariana Perotta, Samuel Jorge Moysés.
Methodology: Mariana Perotta, Juliana Schaia Rocha
Orsi, Samuel Jorge Moysés.
Supervision: Samuel Jorge Moysés.
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.
Correspondingauthor:
Mariana Perotta
E-mail: mariperotta@gmail.com
Associate editor:
Helga Geremias Gouveia
Received: 07.19.2022
Approved: 01.09.2023
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Editor-in-chief:
João Lucas Campos de Oliveira