Maternal mortality in Egypt
Gadalla, S.; Fortney, J.A.; Saleh, S.; Kane, T.; Potts, M.
Journal of Tropical Pediatrics 33(Suppl): 11-13
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0142-6338 PMID: 3437488 Document Number: 350458
The paper was presented at a symposium on maternal and child health in the Middle East held at UCLA (University of California at Los Angeles) on May 30 1986. It examines maternal mortality in the rural Egyptian delta governorate of Menaifia and determines its importance as a cause of death in married women of reproductive age. Over 3 years (1981-83) there were 437 deaths to pregnant or post-partum women in Menaifia: 52 were due to accidental or incidental causes. Of the 385 obstetric maternal deaths, 53% occurred at home, and 44% in hospital. Two thirds of the deaths occurred after delivery. The results of the study are similar to previous studies of maternal mortality in Egypt. Menaifia's maternal mortality ratio is 20 times that of the USA, suggesting that many maternal deaths could be prevented, either by avoiding high-risk pregnancies, through appropriate management of pregnancies and deliveries, or through appropriate referral and management of complicated deliveries.