| Popis: |
Infection with human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), if left untreated, eventually leads to profound immunocompromise and death as host defenses are no longer able to limit opportunistic pathogens and HIV disease progression. Protection of the antigenically heterologous fetus is accomplished by selective alterations in the immune response during pregnancy. The HIV-related immunologic changes may superficially mimic some of the systemic immune changes that occur during pregnancy, but, overall, immunocompetence and host defenses remain intact in the normal pregnant woman. Health care providers will benefit from an understanding of how pregnancy may affect HIV disease and how HIV-related immune alterations may contribute to adverse pregnancy outcomes. The extensive screening efforts now underway to identify women infected with HIV during pregnancy will undoubtedly lead to an increased number of women needing providers who are aware of the interactions between HIV disease and pregnancy. |
