Frequency of HIV among patients seeking antenatal care at a tertiary care hospital, Karachi

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of human immunodeficiency virus among pregnant women reporting for antenatal care at a tertiary care hospital. Method: The cross-sectional study was conducted at Unit-1 of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, Karachi, from August 2018 to January 2019, and comprised all women attending antenatal clinics aged 15-40 years having gestational age of at least 10 weeks confirmed by trans-vaginal/trans-abdominal scan. Data was collected using a predesigned questionnaire. Data was analysed using SPSS 21. Results: There were 642 pregnant women with a mean age of 25.80±4.91 years, and mean gestational age of 24.34±5.38 weeks. Of the total, 5(0.7%) subjects had family history of human immunodeficiency virus and 1(0.2%) had a positive result for the virus. There was significant association of human immunodeficiency virus with family history of the disease (p=0.001) and with history of drug abuse (p=0.003) Conclusion: Screening of human immunodeficiency virus during the antenatal period is a useful tool for better management. Key Words: HIV, Pregnancy, Prevalence.

Stigma, perceived family support, and post-traumatic stress experienced by seropositive HIV patients in Pakistan

“…Furthermore, the high rates of poverty and illiteracy, no proper check and balance on contaminated blood transfusions, and disposal of used syringes and injections, lack of awareness about sexual safe practices, and lesser use of contraceptives lead to higher probability of spread of sexually transmitted diseases especially in rural areas. 19 On the contrary, scant research is published in Pakistan to elaborate this issue. The current study aims to identify the role and potential link between stigma experienced by the HIV patients, PFS, and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) with or without disclosure of the disease.…”