CROI 2014Women who take Viread (tenofovir) during pregnancy give birth to babies with lowered bone density, although the longterm implication of this finding is unclear, MedPage Today reports. Researchers conducted a study of HIV-positive pregnant participants in the Pediatric HIV/AIDS Cohort Study and presented their findings at the Conference on Retroviruses and Opportunistic Infections (CROI) in Boston.

The investigators evaluated a total of 143 dual-energy x-ray absorptiometray (DXA) scans.  The tests were taken to determine the whole-body bone mineral content of infants born to these mothers, including 74 whose mothers’ took Viread and 69 whose mothers who took other HIV drugs. Babies born to the mothers who took Viread had an average whole-body bone mineral content of 56 grams, compared with 63.8 grams for infants born to the other mothers. This represented a 12.2 percent difference.

The investigators plan to study if these differences in bone mineral density persist and result in a clinical impact. At this time the scientists cannot make any recommendations about altering treatment guidelines for pregnant mothers.

To read the MedPage Today story, click here.