Perinatal Mortality and Its Associated Risk Factors: A Study in the North-East of Iran

Background: Perinatal mortality rate is an important indicator of community health status. This study aimed to evaluate perinatal mortality and its determinants in Mobini Hospital of Sabzevar, Iran. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was performed within a two-year (2011-2012) period at Mobini Hospital of Sabzevar. Our study population included all the cases of stillbirth and live birth after the 22nd week of gestation to full term, died within the first week after delivery. The data including maternal and neonatal/fetal age, parity, mode of delivery, history of stillbirth, gestational age, reason of death, gender, and weight of the fetus or newborn were obtained from patient records as well as interviews with the mothers and treating physicians. To analyze the data, independent sample t-test, and Chi T square/Fisher’s exact test were run using SPSS, version 11.5. Results: Perinatal mortality and stillbirth rates were 16.6 and 9.1 per 1000 births, respectively, while the rate of early neonatal mortality was 7.4 per 1000 live births. The most common reasons for neonatal death were pre-term labor and sepsis, while the most common reason for stillbirth was unknown etiology. There was a significant difference between stillbirth and early neonatal death in term of gestational age (P<0.001). Conclusion: According to our results, perinatal mortality rate in our region was not high compared to other regions of the country, although it was higher than that of European countries. We found that premature labor was the cardinal cause of neonatal mortality, which can be prevented by careful perinatal care and improving hospital equipment, especially those of neonatal intensive care units.