Pregnancy-related mortality up to 1 year postpartum in sub-Saharan Africa: an analysis of verbal autopsy data from six countries
Date
2023-06-25
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Abstract
Objective: To compare the causes of death for women who died during pregnancy
and within the first 42days postpartum with those of women who died between
>42days and within 1 year postpartum.
Design: Open population cohort (Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems).
Setting: Ten Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems (HDSS) in The Gambia,
Kenya, Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia and South Africa.
Population: 2114 deaths which occurred within 1 year of the end of pregnancy where
a verbal autopsy interview was conducted from 2000 to 2019.
Methods: InterVA5 and InSilicoVA verbal autopsy algorithms were used to attribute the most likely underlying cause of death, which were grouped according
to adapted International Classification of Diseases-Maternal Mortality categories.
Multinomial regression was used to compare differences in causes of deaths within 42days versus 43–365days postpartum adjusting for HDSS and time period (2000–
2009 and 2010–2019).
Main outcome measures: Cause of death and the verbal autopsy Circumstances of
Mortality Categories (COMCATs).
Results: Of 2114 deaths, 1212 deaths occurred within 42days postpartum and 902 between 43 and 365days postpartum. Compared with deaths within 42days, deaths from
HIV and TB, other infectious diseases, and non-communicable diseases constituted a
significantly larger proportion of late pregnancy-related deaths beyond 42days postpartum, and health system failures were important in the circumstances of those deaths.
The contribution of HIV and TB to deaths beyond 42days postpartum was greatest in
Southern Africa. The causes of pregnancy-related mortality within and beyond 42days
postpartum did not change significantly between 2000–2009 and 2010–2019.
Conclusions: Cause of death data from the extended postpartum period are critical to inform prevention. The dominance of HIV and TB, other infectious and non-communicable
diseases to (late) pregnancy-related mortality highlights the need for better integration of
non-obstetric care with ante-, intra- and postpartum care in high-burden settings.
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Keywords
causes of death, maternal health, pregnancy-related mortality, verbal autopsy