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Respiratory causes of infant mortality: progress and challenges

Melissa Barber1, Carol J Blaisdell

  • 1Division of Lung Diseases, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20892, USA.

American Journal of Perinatology
|February 23, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Infant deaths from respiratory causes decreased significantly, but racial disparities persist. Congenital malformations remain a leading non-RDS cause of infant mortality, with black infants facing higher risks.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Infant mortality due to Respiratory Distress Syndrome (RDS) has decreased, yet racial disparities persist, with black infants experiencing higher mortality rates.
  • Advances in respiratory care may have influenced other respiratory causes of infant mortality, necessitating further investigation into non-RDS causes and associated health disparities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To analyze trends in specific and total non-RDS respiratory causes of infant mortality in the United States from 1980 to 2005.
  • To determine if significant health disparities exist in non-RDS infant mortality based on race and gender over this period.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of infant mortality data in the United States between 1980 and 2005.
  • Comparison of mortality rates for RDS and non-RDS respiratory causes, stratified by race and gender.

Main Results:

  • Infant mortality due to non-RDS respiratory causes declined more than twofold between 1980 and 2005, a less dramatic decrease compared to the fivefold decline in RDS deaths.
  • Black infants exhibited twice the mortality rate from non-RDS respiratory causes compared to white infants.
  • Congenital malformations of the respiratory tract were the most common non-RDS cause of infant mortality and showed no significant change over the study period.

Conclusions:

  • While overall infant mortality from respiratory causes has declined, significant racial disparities in non-RDS respiratory mortality persist.
  • Congenital malformations represent a critical area for intervention as they remain a leading, unaddressed cause of non-RDS infant mortality.
  • Targeted public health strategies are needed to address racial disparities in infant mortality from non-RDS respiratory conditions.

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