Stillbirth rate drops from 24.7 % to 18.4 % for every 1,000 total births in 2015 and about 98% of stillbirths occur in low and medium-income countries.
Stillbirth Causes Diagnosis Prevention
The term stillbirth is used when fetal death occurs after twenty weeks of pregnancy. A change in fetal movement could provide indications of fetal distress or even death.
The term stillbirth is used when fetal death occurs after twenty weeks of pregnancy. A change in fetal movement could provide indications of fetal distress or even death.
‘Prolonged pregnancy, maternal health problems, obesity, smoking, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, older maternal age, eclampsia, income were the major contributing factors for stillbirths around the world.’
The overwhelming majority of stillbirths, about 98 percent, occur in low- and medium-income countries. "But the truly horrific figure is 1.3 million" stillbirths that occur during delivery, The Lancet editors Richard Horton and Udani Samarasekera wrote in a comment.
"The idea of a child being alive at the beginning of labor and dying for entirely preventable reasons during the next few hours should be a health scandal of international proportions. Yet it is not."
Better Care and Treatment Could Potentially Save Hundreds of Stillbirths in the UK
About two-third cases could have been prevented by taking better care and close monitoring of women during pregnancy.
About two-third cases could have been prevented by taking better care and close monitoring of women during pregnancy.
Deaths before this cutoff are termed miscarriages.
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Stillbirth in First Pregnancy Increases Risk on Second Pregnancy as Well
Pregnancies should be closely monitored and antenatal interventions and care should be offered at the first sign of increased risk of distress or danger.
Pregnancies should be closely monitored and antenatal interventions and care should be offered at the first sign of increased risk of distress or danger.
Next in line were maternal health problems.
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Stillbirths and Newborn Deaths Dropped by 8% After Smoking Ban in England
A total of 1,500 stillbirths and newborn deaths were prevented in the first four years after the law prohibit smoking in public places was enacted on 1 July 2007.
A total of 1,500 stillbirths and newborn deaths were prevented in the first four years after the law prohibit smoking in public places was enacted on 1 July 2007.
Malaria infection accounted for about eight percent of stillbirths and syphilis 7.7 percent, the analysis showed.
An estimated 6.7 percent of stillbirths was attributed to the expectant mother being older than 35, and 4.7 percent to eclampsia -- a serious condition of pregnancy that can cause seizure-inducing high blood pressure.
Rich, poor gap
Sub-Saharan Africa had more stillbirths than any other region.
Given the slow rate of improvement, "over 160 years will pass before the average pregnant woman in sub-Saharan Africa has the same chance of her baby being born alive as does a woman nowadays in a high-income country," the study said.
But the series also highlighted wide gaps between rich and poor people even in high-income countries.
A poor woman in a wealthy country has about double the risk of stillbirth than a rich one.
"Stillbirth rates for women of south Asian and African origin giving birth in Europe or Australia are two-to-three times higher than white women," said a statement.
The country with the lowest rate, with 1.3 stillbirths per 1,000 total births, was Iceland, and Denmark was next at 1.7 per 1,000.
They were followed by Finland, the Netherlands, Croatia, Japan, South Korea, Norway, Portugal and New Zealand.
The worst performer, out of 186 countries measured, was Pakistan with 43.1 stillbirths per 1,000 total births.
The rest of the bottom 10 were Nigeria, Chad, Niger, Guinea-Bissau, Somalia, Djibouti, Central African Republic, Togo and Mali.
In 2014, the World Health Assembly -- the world's highest health policy body -- endorsed a target of 10 or fewer stillbirths per 1,000 total births by 2035.
But the Lancet series found the average annual rate of reduction, at two percent, was far slower than for maternal deaths (three percent) or deaths of children under five (4.5 percent).
The series was comprised of five research papers compiled by more than 200 authors, investigators and advisers from 43 countries.
Source-AFP
