WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new U.S. government report has raised serious concerns about rising maternal deaths in the country, calling the issue 'an urgent public health priority.'
The study, published in JAMA Network Open, looked at rarely analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), focusing on health problems during pregnancy and up to a year after childbirth.
Researchers used national data from the CDC and reviewed over 18 million live births that took place between 2018 and 2022. The study focused on women aged 15 to 54, taking into account factors such as race, ethnicity, age, and state of residence.
During the 2018-2022 time, the United States reported 6,283 pregnancy-related deaths, marking the highest rate among high-income countries. The data revealed that American Indian and Alaska Native women had the highest maternal death rate at 106.3 per 100,000 live births, followed by non-Hispanic Black women at 76.9 per 100,000.
Nationally, the maternal mortality rate rose from 25.3 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2018 to 32.6 in 2022, an increase of about 27 percent when adjusted for age.
Alabama had the highest death rate at nearly 60 per 100,000 births, closely followed by Mississippi. In contrast, California had the lowest rate at 18.5 per 100,000. The study estimated that if the entire country had matched California's rate, nearly 2,700 deaths could have been prevented over the five-year period.
The steepest rise in deaths occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. One key finding was the increased number of 'late maternal deaths', meaning the deaths that happen from six weeks to one year after childbirth. The leading cause of these deaths was cardiovascular disease. Other major contributors included cancer, mental health issues, and drug- or alcohol-related conditions. Notably, accidental deaths and homicides were not included in the study.
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