Maternal mortality reduction: a need to focus actions on the prevention of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Table 2 Maternal direct obstetrics deaths by Income group^a. 1990–2017. Estimated based on the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Maternal Health Atlas. Trends 1990–2017.(1)

Cause of the death	Number of deaths		Percentual decrease	Contribution to maternal direct obstetrics deaths (%)
Cause of the death	1990	2017	Percentual decrease	1990	2017
Low income (n = 28)
Maternal Haemorrhage	27,430	12,695	53.7	45.5	21.8
Sepsis and other maternal infections	9,080	10,432	-14.9	15.1	18.0
Hypertensive disorders	5,171	6,559	-26.8	8.6	11.3
Total number of maternal direct obstetrics deaths	60,238	58,108	3.5	-	-
Lower middle income (n = 49)
Maternal Haemorrhage	67,798	21,216	68.7	33.2	18.3
Sepsis and other maternal infections	24,680	10,126	59.0	12.1	8.7
Hypertensive disorders	23,909	19,091	20.2	11.7	16.5
Total number of maternal direct obstetrics deaths	203,945	115,827	43.2	-	-
Upper middle income (n = 53)
Maternal Haemorrhage	32,339	3,780	88.3	53.8	20.6
Sepsis and other maternal infections	4,858	1,326	72.7	8.1	7.2
Hypertensive disorders	6,968	3,832	45.0	11.6	20.8
Total number of maternal direct obstetrics deaths	60,119	18,391	69.4	-	-
High income (n = 56)
Maternal Haemorrhage	423	172	59.3	18.1	8.7
Sepsis and other maternal infections	457	133	70.9	19.6	6.7
Hypertensive disorders	300	207	31.0	12.8	10.5
Total number of maternal direct obstetrics deaths	2,337	1,978	15.4	-	-

^aDirect obstetric deaths (or direct maternal deaths) are those “resulting from obstetric complications of the pregnant state (pregnancy, labour and puerperium), and from interventions, omissions, incorrect treatment, or from a chain of events resulting from any of the above

ISSN: 1475-9276