학술논문

Breastfeeding Among People With Human Immunodeficiency Virus in North America: A Multisite Study.
Document Type
Article
Source
Clinical Infectious Diseases. 11/15/2023, Vol. 77 Issue 10, p1416-1422. 7p.
Subject
*HIV infection transmission
*HIV-positive persons
*RESEARCH
*HIV infections
*INFANT formulas
*VIRAL load
*RETROSPECTIVE studies
*ANTIRETROVIRAL agents
*BREASTFEEDING
*RESEARCH funding
*DESCRIPTIVE statistics
*PRENATAL care
*RESOURCE-limited settings
Language
ISSN
1058-4838
Abstract
Background In North American countries, national guidelines have strongly recommended formula over breastmilk for people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) because of concern for HIV transmission. However, data from resource-limited settings suggest the risk is <1% among virally suppressed people. Information regarding breastfeeding experience in high-resource settings is lacking. Methods A retrospective multisite study was performed for individuals with HIV who breastfed during 2014–2022 in the United States (8 sites) and Canada (3 sites). Descriptive statistics were used for data analysis. Results Among the 72 cases reported, most had been diagnosed with HIV and were on antiretroviral therapy prior to the index pregnancy and had undetectable viral loads at delivery. Most commonly reported reasons for choosing to breastfeed were health benefits, community expectations, and parent–child bonding. Median duration of breastfeeding was 24 weeks (range, 1 day to 72 weeks). Regimens for infant prophylaxis and protocols for testing of infants and birthing parents varied widely among institutions. No neonatal transmissions occurred among the 94% of infants for whom results were available ≥6 weeks after weaning. Conclusions This study describes the largest cohort to date of people with HIV who breastfed in North America. Findings demonstrate high variability among institutions in policies, infant prophylaxis, and infant and parental testing practices. The study describes challenges in weighing the potential risks of transmission with personal and community factors. Finally, this study highlights the relatively small numbers of patients with HIV who chose to breastfeed at any 1 location, and the need for further multisite studies to identify best care practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]