Influence of HIV-1 and placental malaria co-infection on newborn biometry and Apgar scores in Kinshasa Democratic Republic of Congo

Objective. -The aim of this study was to assess the impact of HIV-1 and placental malaria co-infection on newborn biometry and Apgar scores. Methods. -146 HIV-1 infected and 149 HIV-1 uninfected consent mothers and their newborns were recruited. Placental biopsies examination confirmed the presence or absence of placental malaria. Birth weight (BW), placental weight, cranial circumference, brachial perimeter, height, Body Mass Index (BMI) and Apgar scores at 1', 5', 10' were taken. The Chi(2) test and t-Student test were used for data statistical analysis. Results. -The global placental malarial infection prevalence was 72% but was 91% in HIV-1 infected vs. 53.7% in HIV-1 uninfected mothers (p < 0.0001). The mean BW of HIV-1 co-infected mother's newborns was slightly inferior to that of HIV-1 uninfected mother's babies (3,033 +/- 524 g vs. 3,236 +/- 565 g) but this difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). No other significant biometric differences were noted (p > 0.05). But, the co-infection influenced negatively Apgar scores at 5' (p < 0.05). Conclusion. -HIV-1 co-infected mothers were more frequently exposed to placental malaria infection. The co-infection reduced the Apgar scores taken at the fifth minute. (C) 2011 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.