A recent study conducted by Northwestern University indicates a concerning rise in maternal mortality rates across the US

March 26 :
The US maternal death rate has been rising at a "alarming" rate, according to a recent study lead by Dr. Sadiya Khan and published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine on March 18, 2024. The study also found that this increase is occurring across all age groups and is not just related to older women giving birth.

In actuality, the age categories of 25 to 29 and 30 to 34 years old have experienced the largest relative rises.

"We wanted to investigate this question because it's a commonly held hypothesis that more pregnancy-related deaths are occurring because more people are having children later in life," Dr. Sadiya Khan is cited as saying in a Northwestern University news article. Khan teaches cardiology as an associate professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and serves as the Magerstadt Professor of Cardiovascular Epidemiology.

But we discovered that's not the reason behind the rise in maternal fatalities.While our results show that maternal age is a significant risk factor for maternal mortality, further research is necessary to determine the other factors contributing to the recent acceleration of these rates, particularly in younger adults under 35. We're heading in the incorrect way.

According to the survey, the average age of American mothers climbed from 28.3 to 29.4 years old between 2014 and 2021. Maternal death rates increased from 16.5 percent to 31.8 percent overall throughout that time. The biggest increase, from 18.9 to 31.8 percent between 2019 and 2021, happened more recently.

The study was unable to investigate any particular cause of mortality. However, the news report stated that Khan's extensive history of previous study revealed that cardiovascular disease, which includes heart failure, stroke, and hypertensive disorders, is a significant factor in poor maternal health outcomes.

"Khan stated that since most maternal deaths are preventable, it is imperative that we comprehend the causes of deaths and how we can prevent them." "We also need better national infrastructure and surveillance programmes to review and address the underlying causes of the maternal health crisis, even though some states, like Illinois, have maternal mortality review committees," the speaker continued.

The study also didn't look at the significance of racial differences. Pregnancy-related deaths claim the lives of Black people three times more frequently than White people. Khan stated that more thorough research on this will need to be done in the future.

Khan's research, which started in 2014, was financed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.