Causes of reproductive age mortality in low socioeconomic settlements of Karachi

ABSTRACT

The Maternal and Infant Mortality Survey [MlMS] was conducted in eight squatter settlements of Karachi. The female mortality rate was 151.0 per 100,000 women aged 10-49 years and the maternal mortality ratio was 281 per 100,000 livebirths. The leading causes of deaths among women were complications of pregnancy [28.1%], infectious diseases [24.8%], cardiovascular diseases [20.7%], neoplasia [10.7%] and trauma [10.7%]. Hemorrhage [47.1% of all maternal deaths], tuberculosis [40.0% of all infectious disease deaths], oropharyngeal cancer [23.1% of all neoplastic deaths], and burns [61.5% of all trauma deaths] were among the major causes identified. Maternal deaths were associated with young age and nulliparity [p-value <0.01], and a higher proportion occurred in the hospital or on the way to the hospital as compared to non-maternal deaths