CAUSES OF PERINATAL MORTALITY IN AN AFRICAN CITY

Abstract

Little was published about the causes of deaths responsible for the high perinatal mortality rates characteristic of preindustrial, urban societies. This study identified the causes of death in a large-scale analysis of perinatal mortality in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. A 72% autopsy rate was achieved when 1019 postmortem examinations were performed for 1424 consecutive perinatal deaths. The overall perinatal mortality rate was 65.3/1000 live births. The ratio of stillbirths to neonatal deaths was 2.7:1, indicating that maternal factors were dominant in causing the deaths. One-third of the deaths were due to amniotic fluid infections, 15% to obstructed labor, 8% to abruptio placentae and the rest to more than 20 other specific disorders.