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  • Title: [The drama of maternal, infant and child mortality in Latin America and the Caribbean].
    Journal: Temas Poblac; 1990 Dec; 15(28):12-5. PubMed ID: 12343250.
    Abstract:
    99% of the half-million maternal deaths in the world each year occur in developing countries, and many are the result of inopportune or undesired pregnancies. Each month over a million infants an small children also die. In Latin America and the caribbean, women have a risk 50-100 times greater of dying as a result of pregnancy or delivery than women in the US, and their children have a 5 times greater risk of dying before heir 1st birthday. The majority of infant and maternal deaths are preventable. Education and family planning services, which are neither costly nor complicated, could significantly reduce these high mortality rates. A woman's lifetime risk of maternal death is related in great part to her economic and social environment, how many pregnancies she has had, and the availability of maternal health services, It is often difficult for women in developing countries to maintain good health especially if they are poor. They are frequently poorly nourished, and may be required to perform hard physical labor. Pregnancy places greater physical demands on them and may worsen existing health problems. Maternal health risks are substantially increased as well by age under 18 or over 40 years, parity over 4, previous delivery during the last 2 years, and preexisting health problems that could affect pregnancy. Some 75% of maternal deaths are believed to result from obstetrical complications. Hemorrhage, 1 of the most frequent,is more common among older women who have already had 4 or more deliveries. Hemorrhages can be fatal in areas lacking the capability to provide immediate transfusions. Toxemia can lead to convulsions and death if not treated early. Sepsis usually results from complications of an obstructed delivery in very young mothers. Illegal abortion is another major cause of maternal death. In some Latin American ad Caribbean countries, 1/2 of maternal deaths are due to illegal abortions under unhygienic conditions. The same obstetrical risks exist throughout the world but the probability of death is greater in the developing world where access to obstetrical care is deficient. If family planning were easily accessible, women could plan their pregnancies to reduce these risks. Various factors affect the wellbeing of the children. Infants born too soon after another delivery or into families that already have 3 or more children, those born to mothers under 20 or over 40 years old, and those whose mothers die are at significantly increased risk of early death. Compared with other health interventions, family planning is an economical means of improving both maternal and child health, but it is not widely accessible in many developing countries.
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