Perinatal Mortality in Bahrain

Abstract

A review of 583 perinatal deaths at the Ministry of Health hospitals in Bahrain, during the years 1985-1987 revealed a perinatal mortality rate of 19.6 per 1,000 total births. Lethal congenital malformations accounted for 145 (24.9%) deaths. Of the 438 normally formed infants there were 42.2% antepartum, 115 (26.3%) intrapartum and 138 (31.5%) early neonatal deaths; in 82.7% of cases the death was considered to be unavoidable. The population of Bahrain for 1986 according to the Central Statistics Organization (1) was 435,065, the majority of which was served by the Ministry of Health Maternity Service with approximately 10,000 deliveries per annum. The Ministry of Health provides maternity services through one main maternity hospital and 2 peripheral hospitals with consultant obstetric care. In addition to these, there are 3 maternity units run by midwives. High risk cases are usually delivered in the main hospital as there is a neonatal intensive care unit attached to it. The latter also acts as a referral centre for all sick babies in Bahrain. An analysis of the causes of perinatal deaths is an effective way of assessing the efficiency of maternity services. The objective of this study was to identify and improve the various factors influencing perinatal mortality in Bahrain.

Medical risk factors in perinatal mortality in Kuwait: a case-controlled study from Al-jahra district

“…Other causes are fetal abnormality, antepartum haemorrhage, and trauma. This order is more or less similar in this study as well as in international studies from both developed (Georgsdottir et al, 1989;Fliegner, 1992;Vallgarda, 1995) and developing nations (el-Shafei et al, 1988;Fikree and Gray, 1996;Bhutta and Rehman, 1997).…”

Pregnancy in sickle cell disease in Bahrain

“…A high perinatal mortality rate is associated with sickle cell disease (El Shafei et al 1988c). Most fetal deaths are the result of low birthweight and intrapartum asphyxia probably due to chronic maternal anaemia and impairment of placental function as a result of reduced perfusion.…”