Risk factors for maternal mortality in five Kampala hospitals, 1980-1986

A case-control study assessing risk factors for maternal mortality was carried out in five Kampala hospitals covering a period of seven years (1 January 1980 to 31 December 1986). The major predictors of maternal mortality were the general condition on admission, the mode of delivery and the Apgar score of the newborn. These predictors indicate that women at high risk were those admitted to hospital for delivery in a poor state of health. We believe that the risk of maternal mortality can be reduced through appropriate action by health workers and that there is a need for a more complete view of risk factors for both maternal and perinatal mortality to be obtained through population-based studies rather than only those women who deliver in hospital.