PGI Contributes the Lancet Series on Ending Preventable Stillbirths

By 121 News

Chandigarh 19^th January:- A study on the level, causes, and risk factors of stillbirths was conducted in Chandigarh by Newton Raj, Manmeet Kaur, Madhu Gupta, and Rajesh Kumar from the Department of Community Medicine & School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh.

All stillbirths occurring from 1^st July 2013 to 31^st August 2014 among residents in Chandigarh Union Territory were identified from health centres and hospital records. Stillbirth rate was estimated to be 16/1000 total births in Chandigarh UT.

Verbal autopsy methods were used to find cause of stillbirth. Antepartum causes were more common (68%) than intra-partum causes (32%). Among the maternal conditions, hypertension (18.2%) followed by chorio-amnionitis (13.8%) were the leading cause. Among the foetal conditions, growth restriction (19.9%) followed by congenital anomalies (18.8%) were the leading causes. About half (48%) of foetal causes and 44.7% of the maternal causes were still unidentifiable.