Perinatal Risks of Neonatal and Infant Mortalities in a Sub-provincial Region of China: A Livebirth Population-based Cohort Study

• Published in: BMC pregnancy and childbirth Vol. 22; no. 1; pp. 338 - 13
• Main Authors: Xu, Yaling, Guo, Xiaojing, Pan, Zhaojun, Zheng, Guofang, Li, Xiaoqiong, Qi, Tingting, Zhu, Xiaoqin, Wang, Hui, Ding, Weijie, Tian, Zhaofang, Wang, Haijun, Yue, Hongni, Sun, Bo
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central 19-04-2022; BMC
• Subjects: Babies; Birth Weight; China - epidemiology; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Congenital diseases; Data collection; Demographics; Female; Generalized linear models; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Humans; Infant; Infant Death; Infant Mortality; Infant mortality rate; Infant, Newborn; Livebirth; Maternal & child health; Multiple births; Neonatal hospitalization; Neonate mortality rate; Newborn babies; Population-based studies; Pregnancy; Pregnancy complications; Premature birth; Prenatal care; Retrospective Studies; Risk; Risk factors; Statistical analysis; Surveillance; Survival analysis; Umbilical cord; Vital statistics; China; Infant mortality rate; Livebirth; Risk; Neonate mortality rate; Neonatal hospitalization
• ISSN: 1471-2393; 1471-2393
• DOI: 10.1186/s12884-022-04653-8

Current vital statistics of birth population and neonatal outcome in China lacked information and definition of deaths at delivery and during hospitalization, especially for extreme preterm (EPT) birth. This study aims to delineate the prevalence of neonatal hospitalization, neonatal and infant mortality rates (NMR, IMR) and associated perinatal risks based on all livebirths in Huai'an, an evolving sub-provincial region in eastern China.
This retrospective cohort study established a comprehensive database linking information of whole regional livebirths and neonatal hospitalization in 2015, including deaths at delivery and EPT livebirths. The primary outcomes were NMR and IMR stratified by gestational age (GA) and birthweight (BW) with 95% confidence intervals. Causes of the neonatal and infant deaths were categorized according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases 10th version, and population attributable fractions of GA and BW strata were analyzed. Perinatal risks of infant mortalities in continuum periods were estimated by Cox regression models.
Among the whole livebirth population (59056), 7960 were hospitalized (prevalence 13.5%), with 168 (2.8‰) in-hospital deaths. The NMR was 3.6 (3.2, 4.1)‰ and IMR 4.9 (1.4, 4.5)‰, with additionally 35 (0.6‰) deaths at delivery. The major causes of infant deaths were perinatal conditions (2.6‰, mainly preterm-related), congenital anomalies (1.5‰), sudden unexpected death in infancy (0.6‰) and other causes (0.2‰). The deaths caused by preterm and low BW (LBW) accounted for 50% and 40% of NMR and IMR, with 20-30% contributed by EPT or extremely LBW, respectively. Multivariable Cox regression analysis revealed that peripartum factors and LBW strata had strong association with early- and late-neonatal deaths, whereas those of GA < 28 weeks were highly associated with postneonatal deaths. Congenital anomalies and neonatal hospitalization remained high death risks over the entire infancy, whereas maternal co-morbidities/complications were modestly associated with neonatal but not postneonatal infant mortality.
The NMR, IMR, major causes of deaths and associated perinatal risks in continuum periods of infancy, denote the status and quality improvement of the regional perinatal-neonatal care associated with socioeconomic development. The study concept, applicability and representativeness may be validated in other evolving regions or countries for genuine comparison and better maternal-infant healthcare.