Predictors of Stillbirth in Sub-Saharan Africa

Abstract

II.

Malaria and stillbirth in Omdurman Maternity Hospital, Sudan

“…We recently observed similar high rates of stillbirth in western and central Sudan [11,12]. Unlike the previous reports from other settings [13][14][15], sociodemographic characteristics, sex of neonate, and anemia were not associated with stillbirth in the present study. Surprisingly, few patients (only 2 patients in the study) had hypertension and 1 patient had diabetes mellitus.…”

“…Surprisingly, few patients (only 2 patients in the study) had hypertension and 1 patient had diabetes mellitus. Both diabetes mellitus and hypertension are known risk factors for stillbirth in low-income countries [13,16]. Our finding could be explained by vigorous management of these diseases, including early detection and close follow-up and possibly the termination of pregnancy.…”

“…Secondly, other infections, such as syphilis, HIV, and bacterial and viral infections (parvovirus and Coxsackie virus) were not investigated in the current study. In highincome countries, these infections were observed to be the most common infectious causes of stillbirth [13,14,16]. Thirdly, this was a hospital-based small sample study.…”

Stillbirths

“…Many different organisms have caused a stillbirth and extensive reviews regarding the types of infection, the organisms involved, the types of transmission, and mechanisms of death have been published. 16,[32][33][34] In endemic areas, malaria and syphilis are common causes of stillbirth, but in these areas and elsewhere, bacterial and viral maternal infections are often linked to stillbirth. Maternal obesity and diabetes also are risk factors for or are causal for some stillbirths.…”

Predisposing factors associated with stillbirth in Tanzania

“…This reduction probably relates to focused prenatal and intrapartum care including risk identification, coupled with targeted treatment of obstetric complications [3]. By contrast, stillbirth rates in many low-resource regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa, are similar to those recorded in high-income countries decades ago (approximately 32 per 1000 deliveries) [2,4,5].…”