Anwar Merchant*,Fariyal F. Fikree*,Lynette Monteiro+,Ashrafunissa Abdul Karim+,Parvez Nayani*

* The Aga Khan University, Department of Community Health Sciences + Aga Khan Health Service, Pakistan

As the infant mortality rate declines, the proportion of early neonatal increases. In this situation to further improve child survival it is necessary to identify risk factors associated with early neonatal and perinatal mortality.

The known risk facators for perinatal mortality are low birth weight, birth injury and anoxia, age of mother less than 20 years and greater than 35 years, and grand multiparity. Our paper presents prevalence of these and other factors in a maternity home in Karachi which serves middle and low income families.

Medical records of 79 perinatal deaths occurring at a maternity home in Karachi from 1991-93 were extracted and reviewed for evaluation of risk factors of perinatal mortality .

The mothers’ mean age was 25. Nine (11%) mothers were less than 20 or more than 35 years old. Their average hemoglobin in the third trimester was 11.04 g/dl. 28% of the mothers had hemoglobin values less than 10 g/dl at this time; only 4 (5%) women had hemoglobin levels of 13 g/dl or more. Seven (9%) of the 79 women had 4 or more children; 4 (5%) had pervious hypertension, and 2 had diabetes; 17 (22%) had a history of previous neonatal death; 48 (61%) had received syntocinon. 51 (66%) of the babies had birthweights of less than 2.5 kg; 13 (17%) had congenital abnormalities.

In conclusion, maternal anemia, previous history of a neonatal death, low birthweight, congential abnormality, and the use of syntosynon are leading prevalent risk factors in this case series of neonatal deaths.

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