The contribution of very low birth weight death to infant mortality

Abstract

Background: Infant mortality remains high in many developing countries in which the contribution of deaths among infants born very low birth weight (VLBW) may be considerable. This contribution has however not been quantified in most such countries. This paper explores a model that can be used in this respect. Objective: To determine the contribution of very low birth weight infants towards the overall infants deaths in Kenya. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Kenyatta National Hospital, Pumwani Maternity Hospital and Kilifi District Hospital. Subjects: Very low birth weight infants followed up for a period of one year. Results: The neonatal, post-neonatal and infant mortalities for the cohort were 442, 139 and 581/1000 respectively. These were thirteen, three and seven times higher than the national averages respectively. Of the national birth cohort of 1,300,000 during that year, it was estimated that between 15,600 (1.2%) and 24,700 (1.9%) were born VLBW. Given this VLBW infant burden and extrapolating the infant mortality observed in this study to the general population, between 9,064 (8.9%) and 14,351(14.2%) of the 101,400 (78/1000) infants who die during infancy in the country are born VLBW. Conclusion: The cohort reports very high infant mortality for VLBW infants when compared to the general population. Despite constituting less than 2% of the birth cohort, these infants contribute between 8.9% and 14.2% of all infant deaths.

Neonatal Death in Low- to Middle-Income Countries: A Global Network Study

“…In most high-income countries, the majority of neonatal mortality now is due to those infants born <1500 g and almost all infants born >2500 grams survive. (5) Our results suggest that there is an opportunity to prevent the majority of neonatal deaths by improving access to appropriate obstetrical and neonatal care. While our data suggest that higher quality of health care at delivery is associated with lower neonatal mortality rates, more research on the specific causes of these neonatal death and the circumstances under which they are occurring would assist in defining appropriate interventions.…”

Survival Analysis of Long-Term Exposure to Different Sizes of Airborne Particulate Matter and Risk of Infant Mortality Using a Birth Cohort in Seoul, Korea

“…Low birth weight is mainly caused by preterm birth, defined as delivery < 37 weeks of pregnancy, and fetal growth retardation (Xu et al 2011). Many studies showed that crucial factors of infant mortality, such as low birth weight and gestational age, are associated with increased infant mortality (Callaghan et al 2006; Donovan et al 2010; Were and Bwibo 2009). In a study in Korea, exposure to air pollution during pregnancy was significantly associated with preterm birth (Ha et al 2004) and low birth weight (Ha et al 2001; Lee et al 2003).…”

Low birth weight and macrosomia in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: who are the mothers at risk?

“…Of note, a recent study in eastern Ethiopia reported that one in every five pregnant women were malnourished [25]. It is also well established that LBW is the significant contributor for neonatal and infant deaths [26]. It is in this context, that the imperative to investigate the levels and underlying risk factors of both LBW and macrosomia arises in order to inform future policy and interventions to reduce maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality.…”