HIV-AIDS related maternal mortality in Benin City, Nigeria

Objective: To determine the causes and characteristics of maternal deaths in HIV-infected women.

Design: A retrospective study of maternal deaths in a cohort of HIV-infected women.

Setting: A facility-based maternal death review using case records and mortality summaries.

Methods: Thirty seven maternal deaths which occurred in HIV-infected women were reviewed in a university teaching hospital in southern Nigeria over a 4-year period. Causes and circumstances surrounding each maternal death were identified.

Result: One in every four maternal deaths occur in women with HIV infection. Majority (64.9%) of the women presented in advanced stage (WHO stage III/IV) of HIV syndrome while 86.5% had missed opportunities for antiretroviral programme. Pregnancy-related sepsis was the commonest cause of maternal death. Other common causes were death from tuberculosis and pneumonia.

Conclusion: HIV-related maternal death is emerging as a leading cause of pregnancy related death in Nigeria. There is need to scale-up preconception care and ensure comprehensive and sustainable prevention of mother -to-child transmission service for all pregnant women throughout Nigeria to reduce the burden of HIV/AIDS infection and minimize avoidable deaths from opportunistic infections.