1. The trend and characteristics of stillbirth delivery in a university teaching hospital in Lagos, Nigeria
- Author
-
Shakirat Tinuola Smith-Okonu and Adeyemi A Okunowo
- Subjects
Adult ,medicine.medical_specialty ,Birth weight ,Nigeria ,Intrauterine growth restriction ,tendance ,Hospitals, University ,Pregnancy ,Risk Factors ,Humans ,Medicine ,Eclampsia ,Hospitals, Teaching ,reproductive and urinary physiology ,Retrospective Studies ,Fetal Growth Retardation ,Placental abruption ,business.industry ,Obstetrics ,Gestational age ,Prenatal Care ,Retrospective cohort study ,General Medicine ,Stillbirth ,Delivery, Obstetric ,medicine.disease ,Caractéristiques ,female genital diseases and pregnancy complications ,Obstetric Labor Complications ,Pregnancy Complications ,Characteristics ,trend ,Socioeconomic Factors ,Nigéria ,Female ,Original Article ,University teaching ,business ,mortinaissance ,Clinical risk factor - Abstract
Background: The burden of stillbirth is so huge in sub-Saharan Africa, especially in Nigeria where many mothers and mothers-to-be are denied the joy of motherhood. Despite the frequent occurrence of this obstetric problem in our environment, little priority is placed on it. Objectives: The study aims to bring to the fore, the burden, trend, and characteristics of stillbirth delivery in Lagos, Nigeria. Subjects and Methods: This was a 5-year descriptive retrospective study of the case records of women who had stillbirth delivery at Lagos University Teaching Hospital from January 2009 to December 2013. Relevant information was obtained using a study pro forma, and data analysis was carried out using SPSS version 20.0. Results: The prevalence of stillbirth was 6.2%, and the rate was 61.8/1000 total births. Women who did not book for antenatal care accounted for 76.2% of the cases, and the antenatal and intrapartum stillbirths accounted for 64.6% and 35.4%, respectively. The mean gestational age was 35.5 ± 1.2 weeks, while the mean birth weight was 2.9 ± 1.0 kg. Majority of the stillbirths were male fetuses (54.5%). Previous history of stillbirth (36.0%), hypertensive disorders in pregnancy (33.0%), placental abruption (28.8%), intrauterine growth restriction (13.0%), and ruptured uterus (11.3%) were the common clinical risk factors identified. Conclusion: The burden of stillbirth is high in our environment, and majority is due to preventable or manageable obstetric conditions. There is a need to encourage early referral of complicated pregnancies and labor to specialized centers that can cater for them, so as to avoid unnecessary and preventable deaths.
- Published
- 2020
- Full Text
- View/download PDF