Mortality rate
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It is estimated that AIDS, water depletion, and shrinking cropland would be responsible for escalating death rates in the next decade. This is most likely to take place in sub-Saharan Africa and the Indian subcontinent, which account for one-third of the world's population. Global warming is also feared to raise the mortality rate as extreme temperatures and heat waves are likely to increase cases of heart attacks and cardiac arrest.
Mortality rate is a measure of the number of deaths in the population divided by the average population (or the population at midyear). It is measured in units of deaths per 1000 individuals per year. Thus, a mortality rate of 9.5 in a population of 100,000 would mean 950 deaths per year in that entire population.
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[edit] Maternal Mortality Rate
This is arrived at by dividing the number of maternal deaths related to childbearing by the number of live births during the year. Also calculated by dividing the number of maternal deaths by the total number of live births and fetal deaths.
In developing countries, maternal mortality is a highly neglected subject. Almost 99 percent of the maternal deaths in these countries occur among the poorer sections of the society. Moreover, for every death there are 10 more cases where women may survive but are left with lifelong morbidities.
Pregnancy primary cause
Pregnancy is the primary cause of death among women of reproductive age. World Health Organization defines a maternal death as "the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, irrespective of the duration of the pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management but not from accidental or incidental causes". Though the primary causes of maternal mortality are attributed to obstetric complications and unsafe abortions, other factors such as inadequate care during delivery, chronic disease and malnutrition, poverty, isolation, and unwanted pregnancies are also responsible.
• Most maternal deaths occur among poor women who live in remote areas.
• Many women are unable to meet the physical demands of pregnancy because of chronic diseases and malnutrition
• First births and births after the fourth are more dangerous than the second through fourth births
• Women under age 18 and those over age 35 face greater risks during childbirth than women between these ages
• Pregnancy can be dangerous to very young women because their pelvises are not yet large enough to accommodate birth
[edit] Fetal Mortality Rate
Calculated by dividing the ratio of fetal deaths by the sum of the births (the live births + the fetal deaths) during the year. The fetal mortality rate is considered a good measure of the quality of health care in a country or a medical facility. See chart Infant Mortality Rate [1] of different countries.
In developing countries infectious diseases and birth diseases are prime causes of infant mortality.
[edit] Infant Mortality Rate
Infant mortality rate is arrived at by dividing the number of children dying under a year of age by the number of live births that year. The infant mortality rate is also called the infant death rate.
The infant mortality rate is an important measure of the well-being of infants, children, and pregnant women because it is associated with a variety of factors, such as maternal health, quality and access to medical care, socioeconomic conditions, and public health practices. See Infant Mortality and Life Expectancy for Selected Countries, 2007 [2]
Causes of Infant and Fetal Mortality
• Newborn/fetus affected by maternal complications of pregnancy
• Newborn/fetus affected by complications of placenta, cord, and membranes
• Disorders related to short gestation and low birth/fetal weight, not elsewhere classified
• Intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia
• Respiratory distress of newborn/fetus
• Bacterial sepsis of newborn/fetus
• Congenital malformations, deformation and chromosomal abnormalities
• Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
• Injury (External causes of mortality)
[edit] Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the major causes of infant mortality. SIDS is the third leading cause of death in infants. It takes place mostly during the winter months and among infants between one month and one year of age. Higher cases are also found among children whose mothers are less than 20 years of age.
There are higher cases of such deaths among males, premature neonates, and those who sleep on their stomachs or in cribs with soft bedding. Neonates born in conditions of poverty and to those who were one of a single multiple birth, such as twins and triplets, and to mothers who smoke, take drugs, or failed to seek prenatal care until late in the pregnancy are also seriously affected.
Immature respiratory system and respiratory dysfunction are said to be the primary causes of SIDS deaths. It is also believed that SIDS may result from an abnormality in the control of ventilation, which causes prolonged apneic periods with profound hypoxemia and serious cardiac arrhythmias.
Treatment
Once the affected infant is brought to the emergency department the physician decide whether to try to resuscitate him. An “aborted SIDS” infant is one who’s found apneic and is successfully resuscitated. Such an infant, or any infant who had a sibling stricken by SIDS, should be tested for infantile apnea. If tests are positive, a home apnea monitor may be recommended. Because the infant usually can’t be resuscitated, however, treatment focuses on providing emotional support for the family.
[edit] Child Mortality
In developing countries one out of every 10 children die before they reach the age of five. They die because of lack of basic medical intervention which include immunizations, antibiotics, oral rehydration therapy, malaria prevention and treatment, better nutrition and breastfeeding, and improved neonatal care. The United States and 188 other nations joined hands in 2000 to reduce child deaths worldwide by two-thirds by the year 2015. However, not much progress has been made in this direction.
• Of the 20 countries in the world with the highest child mortality 19 are in Africa, the exception being Afghanistan.
• A baby born in Sierra Leone is three and a half times more likely to die before its fifth birthday than a child born in India, and more than a hundred times more likely to die than a child born in Iceland or Singapore.
• Fifteen countries, mainly European but including Japan and Singapore, had child mortality rates in 2002 of less than 5 per 1000 live births.
• Throughout the world, child mortality is higher in males than in females.
See some more facts about Child Mortality provided by Centre for Environment Education [3]
[edit] Adult Male-Female Mortality Rates
According to a study carried out for the Society of Actuaries in Schaumburg, Illinois, mortality rates are higher among males than females in almost all species, including humans, and this trend is found around the world. The causes for this difference are attributed to biological and genetic as well as social, cultural, environmental, and behavioral reasons.
It is felt that women live longer than men because they deal with stress differently. According to the study, among men stress triggers a hormone called oxytocin that causes higher stress. But in women, high estrogen levels may dull the hormone's effects, producing a less confrontational response which is likely to lower the blood pressure, and reduce the risk of the disease.
[edit] Sudden Death in Adults
An adult version of “cot death”, Sudden Death Syndrome, includes many different causes of cardiac arrest in young people. Under these conditions the heart muscle thickens and there are irregularities in the electrical impulses responsible for the natural rhythm of the heart. Symptoms can include shortness of breath, light-headedness and chest pains. Often patients are not even aware of the serious consequences of such symptoms.
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