The US pregnancy-related mortality

The US pregnancy-related mortality ratio has continued to increase, rising to 16.0 deaths per 100,000 live births. The latest epidemiologic data from 2006 to 2010 suggest that cardiovascular conditions and infection contributed to the increase in pregnancy-related mortality. The fact that chronic diseases are playing a larger role in pregnancy-related mortality suggests there has been a change in the risk profile of the birthing population.

Andreea A. Creanga, MD, PhD, and colleagues from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, published this update of the national population-level pregnancy-related mortality estimates online December 5 and in the January issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.

The Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System was first implemented in 1987. The investigators compared causes of pregnancy-related deaths from 2006 to 2010 with causes of pregnancy-related deaths since 1987.

From 2006 to 2010, there were 3358 pregnancy-related deaths and 5028 pregnancy-associated deaths documented in the United States. During this same period, the contribution of more traditional causes of pregnancy-related death such as hemorrhage, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, and embolism continued the decline that began in 1987. Racial disparities in pregnancy-related mortalities persisted, however, with non-Hispanic black women being 3.2 times more likely to die of pregnancy complications than non-Hispanic white