Depressive symptomatology, TNF-α, and perinatal outcomes among HIV-seropositive pregnant women.

Many factors may be associated with depressive symptomatology among HIV seropositive pregnant women, in whom the prevalence of depression is relevant. Several studies have suggested that depression is an inflammatory condition, in terms of cytokine production. Moreover, pregnant women infected with HIV may have altered cytokine levels due to their infectious condition and pregnancy-related immunomodulation. Thus, we propose that depressive symptomatology during pregnancy could affect not only cytokine production but gestational outcomes as well. The aim of this observational, prospective, cross-sectional and non-random sampled study was to evaluate the prevalence of depressive symptomatology and its relationship to perinatal outcomes and levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines among HIV-infected pregnant women. Depressive symptomatology was related to lower newborn weight, and gestational age at delivery among HIV-infected pregnant women with CD4+ lymphocytes below 350 cells/mm3. Participants who obtained higher scores in the Zung Self-rated Depression Scale had lower levels of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α,) whereas Interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels were similar in participants with low and high depressive symptomatology. In this study, it was found that increased maternal depressive symptomatology, combined with CD4+ lymphocytes below 350 cells/mm3, was related not only to lower newborn weight and height, but to lower gestational age at delivery as well.