Incidence and Causes of Stillbirth in Omdurman Maternity Hospital, Sudan: A Prospective Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Stillbirth is an important indicator of the quality of antenatal health services. This study aimed to identify the incidence and causes of stillbirths among Sudanese women. Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional hospital-based study that was conducted at Omdurman Maternity Hospital during the period from December 1, 2019 to May 30, 2020. The study sample comprised 285 women who presented with stillbirths. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire administered to women after taking informed consent. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics [Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 24 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY)]. Results: The incidence of stillbirths was 16/1000. Idiopathic causes were the most frequent causes which accounted for 20% (n=57), followed by pre-eclampsia 18.6% (n=53), congenital abnormalities 15.1% (n=43), and abruption placentae 14.4% (n=41). In addition, the less common causes were eclampsia 4.6% (n=13), ruptured uterus 4.2% (n=12), twin-twin transfusion 4.2% (n=12), cord prolapse 3.5% (n=10), uncontrolled diabetes mellitus (DM) 3.5% (n=10), malpresentation 2.6% (n=8), gestational DM 2.5%(n=7), anemia 2.5%(n=7), sepsis 2.1 (n=6), placenta previa 1.4% (n=4), renal disease 0.4% (n=1), and toxoplasmosis 0.4% (n=1). Conclusion: The incidence of stillbirths was 16/1000. Unexplained causes of stillbirths were the most common causes which accounted for 20% of all deaths. In contrast, explainable causes were responsible for 80% of fetal deaths. Among explainable causes, pre-eclampsia and its consequences (abruption, eclampsia) remain the most common cause.

Stillbirths In Nepal: A Scoping Review

“…15 An incidence of 16 per 1000 births was found in the study conducted by Alsammani et al in Sudan. 16 However, a review carried out by Poudel et al 17 found a pooled rate of 25.15 per 1000 births which is comparatively higher than the rate of stillbirth in this review. Moreover, the study conducted by Adjetey et al 18 carried out in Cape Coast, Ghana found the stillbirth rate as high as 58.5 per 1000 deliveries.…”

“…23 Likewise, antepartum haemorrhage (APH) was found as the risk factor of stillbirth in 31.4% (Goldenberg et al) 19 , 8.5% (Yeasmin et al) 22 , 30.3% (Tesema et al) 24 and 13.7% (Halim et al) 15 women who had a stillbirth. However, unexplained/unidentified factors were observed in 24.5% women with stillbirths in the study conducted by Yeasmin et al 22 , 21.5% cases in the study by Jamal et al 21 and in 20% cases of stillbirths in the study by Alsamani et al 16 Vaginal delivery was the principal mode of delivery and caesarean section was also found from 5-35%. Similarly, vaginal delivery was observed in 86.2% and 91.2% in the studies conducted by Yeasmin et al 22 and Patel et al 23 respectively.…”

Comparative Analysis of Antihypertensive and Anticonvulsant Regimens in Managing Pre-eclampsia and Eclampsia: Insights from a Sudanese Retrospective Study

“…Regarding fetal outcomes, intrauterine fetal death occurred in a higher portion when compared with that reported at Omdurman Maternity Hospital in Sudan [35], but was lower than in another regional study, in which it was around 20% [35]. Fetal outcomes were not associated with either the antihypertensive drug regimens used or the mother's seizure control situation.…”