Predictors of loss to follow-up among children registered in an HIV prevention mother-to-child transmission cohort study in Pernambuco, Brazil.

Background: Mother-to-child transmission of HIV (MTCT) is the major form of acquiring the disease among children. The loss to follow-up (LTF) of mothers and their children is a problem that affects the effectiveness of programs for the prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT). The aim of this study is to identify risk factors associated with the LTF of HIV-exposed children in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil.

Factors associated with mother-to-child transmission of the human immunodeficiency virus in Pernambuco, Brazil, 2000-2009.

Objective: To identify risk factors associated with mother-to-child transmission of HIV in the Brazilian state of Pernambuco.

Methods: Retrospective cohort study with 1200 HIV-exposed children born in Pernambuco, registered up to the age of 2 months in a public programme to prevent vertical transmission. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted for maternal and peripartum characteristics and prophylactic interventions, to identify risk factors for mother-to-child transmission of HIV.