Óbitos infantis evitáveis nas coortes de nascimentos de Pelotas, Rio Grandedo Sul, Brasil, de 1993 e 2004

[Infant mortality in Mato Grosso, Brazil: trend and causes of death between 2007 and 2016]

Geographical and temporal variations in infant mortality subsidize the process of planning and assessing maternal and child health. This is a time-series study that set out to analyze the trend of infant mortality in Mato Grosso and its health regions from 2007 to 2016 and to identify the distribution of causes of death according to age group and birth weight. For the trend analysis, the infant mortality rates stratified by causes of death between 2007 and 2016 were evaluated using polynomial regression models. There was a decreasing linear trend in infant mortality rates in the state, but individually only four of the 16 health regions followed this trend. Half of the deaths occurred in the early neonatal period. Causes avoidable by adequate attention to women during pregnancy and childbirth and to the newborn represented 51.1% of the deaths. There was an increasing tendency of proportional mortality for causes not manifestly avoidable. It is acknowledged that it is important to know the trend of rates in order to define priority population groups for early interventions that increase survival and reduce infant mortality. In addition, the investigation of deaths in the state should be implemented to establish the underlying cause.

Prevalence, mortality and risk factors associated with very low birth weight preterm infants: an analysis of 33 years

OBJECTIVE

To assess the prevalence, mortality and risk factors associated with the birth of very low birth weight preterm infants over a period of 33 years.

METHODS

Four cross-sectional studies were analyzed, using data from perinatal interviews of birth cohorts in the city of Pelotas collected in 1982, 1993, 2004, and 2015. Based on perinatal questionnaires, anthropometric measurements of newborns and death certificates were analyzed to obtain the prevalence rate, neonatal mortality, and risk factors (maternal age, income and type of delivery) for very low birth weight.

RESULTS

A total of 19,625 newborns were included in the study. In the years 1982, 1993, 2004, and 2015, there were, respectively, 5909, 5232, 4226, and 4258 births. The prevalence of very low birth weight was, respectively, 1.1% (n=64), 0.9% (n=46), 1.4% (n=61), and 1.3% (n=54). There was no statistical evidence of an increasing trend over time (p=0.11). Among the risk factors, family income in the three poorest quintiles was associated with prevalence rates that were approximately twice as high as in the richest quintile (p=0.003). Mortality per 1000 live births for neonates weighing <1500g decreased from 688 to 259 per thousand from 1982 to 2015 (p<0.001), but still represented 61% of neonatal deaths in the latter year.

CONCLUSION

Although mortality in very low birth weight decreased by more than 60% in recent years, this group still contributes with more than half of neonatal deaths. Low family income remains an important risk factor in this scenario.

Life-threatening conditions at birth: an analysis of causes of death and survival estimate for under-five children in live birth cohorts

Despite the reduction in under-five mortality, the causes are still mostly avoidable, and survival may be compromised by life-threatening conditions at birth. The study estimated the burden of life-threatening conditions at birth, neonatal near miss, and mortality, with an emphasis on avoidable causes, as well as under-five survival in live birth cohorts. This was a retrospective cohort study of live birth in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil (2012-2016). The databases from the Brazilian Information System on Live Births and the Brazilian Mortality Information System were linked. Pragmatic criteria were used to define life-threatening conditions and near miss. Deaths were classified according to the Brazilian list of causes of avoidable deaths. Morbidity and mortality and survival indicators were estimated (Kaplan-Meier). Of the 425,505 live birth , 2.2% presented life-threatening conditions at birth. The under-five, infant and neonatal mortality rates were 0.01, 0.06, and 14.97 per 1,000 person-days, respectively. Avoidable, unclearly avoidable, and ill-defined causes accounted respectively for 61%, 35%, and 4% of the deaths. The risk of death from avoidable causes attributable to life-threatening conditions at birth was 97.6%. Survival was lower in newborns with life-threatening conditions compared to those without life-threatening conditions. The pragmatic criteria for life-threatening conditions determined the profile of proportional mortality by causes of death according to the three groups of causes in the Brazilian list of causes of avoidable deaths. Life-threatening conditions at birth increases the risk of morbidity and mortality in under-five children and raises the discussion on vulnerability and the need for care for these children and social support for their families.