Black women have three to four time...

Black women have three to four times the risk of a pregnancy-related death compared with white women according to a report from the Center for Disease command and Prevention (CDC). "Pregnancy-Related Mortality Surveillance--United States, 1991-1999" is available online at wwwcdcgov/mmwr

The pregnancy-related mortality ratio for all women for the years 1991 in consequence of 1998 was 11.8 deaths by 100,000 live births. The risk of death from complications related to pregnancy remains higher than the nation's Healthy the community 2010 objective: no more than 33 maternal deaths by 100,000 live births.

Pregnancy-related deaths are rare; 525 occurr in 1999 However, significant racial disparities persist. During the nine-year application of mind period, the pregnancy-related mortality ratio for black women was 300 deaths for 100,000 live births, compared with 81 for white women This is the largest racial gap of any indicator in the field of maternal and child health and has persisted for more than 60 years.

The CDC report also set a greater risk of pregnancy-related deaths among older women and those who received no prenatal care. The risk for pregnancy-related death increased sharply for women age 35 and older and the risk for women 40 and older was four times the risk for women age 30 to 34 For each age category, black women were at a higher risk of death than white women Among all age collections women who received no prenatal care were three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes than women who received any care; this risk was equable higher for black women.

Data published in the report are from the CDC's Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance theory which collects data on pregnancy-related deaths by means of state health departments, maternal mortality review committees, the media, and individual providers. Improved identification of pregnancy-related deaths in novel years has likely led to the reported increase in the pregnancy-related mortality ratio. However, the authors of the report say that pregnancy-related deaths are still underreported and that the number of deaths related to pregnancy may increase significantly with more active surveillance.

The CDC is responding to the riddle of complications and deaths related to pregnancy by way of collaborating with the Safe Motherhood Initiative, a broad coalition of agencies, organizations, and professionals, to address research and policy issues forward this topic. More information forward the Safe Motherhood Initiative is available online at www.safemotherhood.org.

COPYRIGHT 2003 American Academy of Family Physicians

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group