First-trimester spontaneous abortions and the incidence of human immunodeficiency virus seropositivity.

Objective: To examine the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) seropositivity rates and HIV risk factors in women with a confirmed diagnosis of first-trimester spontaneous abortion in a community hospital.

Study Design: Patients admitted with confirmed diagnoses of spontaneous incomplete first-trimester abortions at Lutheran Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, from September 1991 to September 1992, were asked to anonymously complete an epidemiologic questionnaire, which was used to study HIV risk factors in our study population. Routine blood work done on admission was used to ascertain the incidence of HIV infection. These rates were compared to the maternal HIV infection rates as determined by the New York City Department of Health.

Results: Of the 145 patients enrolled in our study, 11% of patients had HIV risk factors. The seropositivity rate was 0.689% in patients with spontaneous incomplete abortions.

Conclusion: There was no statistically significant difference between the rate of HIV seropositivity in patients with spontaneous incomplete first-trimester abortions and the overall maternal HIV seropositivity rate, 0.56% (P = .36%) at our institution.