This poster details the protocol for the Aflacohort birth cohort study, conducted in Banke, Nepal. Presented at the 5th Annual Scientific Symposium in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Aflatoxins are carcinogenic and may affect linear growth. Prior cross-sectional data from Ghana have shown that aflatoxin levels are ~ 20% higher among HIV-infected than HIV-uninfected post-partum women. It is not known if HIV-infected pregnant women have elevated serum aflatoxin levels during pregnancy, or if aflatoxin levels change during the perinatal period. We therefore studied these relationships among a cohort of 246 women recruited in Gulu, Uganda, and followed through pregnancy and early infant life.
Aflatoxins (AF) are carcinogens associated with poor linear growth in infants. AF serum levels have been reported to be higher in HIV infected (+) women. However, it is not known if maternal AF exposure affects gestational weight gain (GWG), or if relationship between in utero AF exposure and changes in perinatal anthropometry differs by maternal HIV or infant HIV exposure status. We enrolled 403 pregnant women (33.3% HIV (+), all on anti-retroviral treatment) at the antenatal clinic of Gulu Hospital, northern Uganda.