Findings regarding pregnancy-related mortality released - Brief Article

AORN Journal,  May, 2003  

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The risk of pregnancy-related death is three to four times higher for African American women than Caucasian women, according to a Feb 20, 2003, news release from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This information comes from the CDC's report titled Pregnancy-Related Mortality Surveillance--United States, 1991-1999.

Only 525 pregnancy-related deaths occurred in 1999, making them rare; however, there are racial disparities. The pregnancy-related mortality ratio for all women from 1991 through 1998 was 11.8 per 100,000 live births; however, the ratio for African American women was 30 per 100,000 live births. This is the largest racial gap of any maternal/child health indicator, and it has persisted for more than 60 years.

According to this report, other women at greater for pregnancy-related mortality included older women and women who received no prenatal care. For women age 35 and older, risk increased sharply, and for women age 40 and older, risk was four times higher than the risk for women ages 30 to 34. African American women in each age bracket were at higher risk for pregnancy-related mortality than Caucasian women. Women who did not receive prenatal care were three to four times more likely to die of pregnancy-related causes compared to women who did receive prenatal care, regardless of age. This risk was even higher for African American women.

CDC Reports Pregnancy-related Deaths Still Higher in Black Women than White Women (news release, Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Feb 20, 2003) http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030220c.htm (accessed 18 March 2003).

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