Estimating the effect of maternal viral load on perinatal and postnatal HIV transmission: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Abstract
Summary Background Although a growing body of evidence supports zero risk of sexual HIV transmission from a person with sustained virological suppression, known as U=U (undetectable equals untransmittable), data have been insufficient to determine whether this is also true for vertical HIV transmission. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to quantify vertical transmission risk by maternal HIV viral load (mHVL) and to evaluate the applicability of U=U to perinatal and postnatal HIV transmission. Methods In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, the WHO Global Health Library, and abstracts from the International AIDS Society Conference and the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (2016–24) for studies published from Jan 1, 1989, to Dec 31, 2024, reporting the relationship between mHVL near birth (to estimate perinatal transmission risk by 6 weeks) or during breastfeeding (to estimate monthly postnatal transmission risk by mHVL within the past 6 months) and vertical transmission. We pooled risks of perinatal and postnatal transmission across prespecified mHVL categories. We also conducted comparative analyses to determine the adjusted relative risk (aRR) of transmission by mHVL using Poisson meta-regression. The protocol for this analysis is registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a meta-analysis, done in people. Its evidence level is 1 of 5 (Highest · pooled evidence). Pooled evidence from several studies sits at the top of the evidence pyramid. Reported size: 4,675 participants or records.
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