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Infectious disease mortality among infants in the United States, 1983 through 1987
J S Read1, J F Troendle, M A Klebanoff
1Division of Epidemiology, Statistics, and Prevention Research, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), Bethesda, Md, USA.
Insights
Infectious diseases caused over 16,000 infant deaths, primarily from noncongenital infections post-birth. Low birthweight, preterm birth, and male gender increased risk for these preventable infant mortality causes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Infectious diseases represent a significant, yet often underestimated, cause of infant mortality.
- Understanding risk factors associated with infectious disease mortality is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the significance of infectious diseases as a cause of infant mortality in the U.S.
- To identify birth characteristics linked to infant deaths from infections.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of Linked Birth/Infant Death Data Sets from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) spanning 1983-1987.
- Examination of underlying causes of death and associated infant characteristics.
Main Results:
- Infection was the underlying cause for over 16,000 infant deaths, ranking as the fourth leading cause.
- Noncongenital infections accounted for nearly 90% of infectious disease deaths, predominantly in the postneonatal period.
- Low birthweight, preterm birth, and male gender were independently associated with postneonatal mortality from noncongenital infections.
Conclusions:
- The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) classification system should include a dedicated 'Infectious Diseases' category for infant mortality.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the relationship between low birthweight and infectious disease mortality.
- Investigating the potential impact of vaccines and healthcare access on preventing infection-related infant deaths is recommended.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of infectious disease as a cause of infant mortality in the United States and to identify characteristics at birth associated with subsequent infectious disease mortality.
Methods:
Birth and infant death certificate data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) 1983 through 1987 Linked Birth/ Infant Death Data Sets were analyzed.
Results:
Infection was the underlying cause of death for over 16000 infants, representing the fourth leading cause of mortality in this cohort. Almost 90% of infectious disease deaths during infancy were due to noncongenital infections, and the majority of these deaths occurred during the postneonatal period. Low birthweight, preterm birth, and male gender were independently associated with postneonatal mortality due to noncongenital infection.
Conclusions:
NCHS should revise its classification system for causes of infant mortality to incorporate an "Infectious Diseases" category. Future research should be directed toward clarifying the low birthweight-infectious disease mortality relationship and determining the degree to which infection-related infant deaths might be prevented by existing vaccines or improved access to health care.