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[Frequency of pulmonary causes of death in perinatal post-mortem material (author's transl)]
Abstract:
Morphological lung changes were found to be the cause of death in 304 of 618 live births that died during the perinatal period in the years 1975-1979 (49.2%:369 males, 249 females). Causes were hyaline membrane disease (168 = 27.2%), massive lung bleeding (64 = 10.4%), pneumonia (36 = 5.8%), atelectases (29 = 4.7%), and amniotic fluid aspiration (7 = 1.1%). There were minor sex differences in the frequency of the causes, which were often present in combination. Among the pulmonary causes of death, hyaline membrane disease was the most common (55.3%), followed by massive bleeding (22.1%), pneumonia (11.8), atelectases (9.5%), and amniotic fluid aspiration (2.3%), with marked differences among premature and mature births.
Insights
Lung morphology issues caused nearly half of perinatal deaths from 1975-1979. Hyaline membrane disease was the leading cause, followed by lung bleeding and pneumonia in newborns.
Area of Science:
- Pulmonary pathology
- Neonatal mortality
- Perinatal medicine
Context:
- Investigating leading causes of death in live births during the perinatal period (1975-1979).
- Analyzing morphological lung changes as primary determinants of mortality.
- Examining a cohort of 618 deceased live births.
Purpose:
- To identify and quantify the specific morphological lung changes responsible for perinatal mortality.
- To determine the prevalence of conditions such as hyaline membrane disease, lung bleeding, pneumonia, atelectasis, and amniotic fluid aspiration.
- To explore potential sex-based differences and combinations of these pulmonary causes.
Summary:
- Morphological lung abnormalities were identified as the cause of death in 49.2% (304/618) of perinatal deaths.
- Hyaline membrane disease (27.2%) was the most frequent cause, followed by massive lung bleeding (10.4%) and pneumonia (5.8%).
- Significant variations in cause prevalence were observed between premature and mature births.
Impact:
- Provides crucial data on the etiology of neonatal respiratory failure and mortality.
- Highlights the critical role of lung development and maturity in perinatal survival.
- Informs clinical practice and research priorities for reducing infant mortality due to respiratory conditions.