Epidemiology

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Multidisciplinaire richtlijn Postpartumzorg in de eerste lijn (deel 1)Published by: Werkgroep Ontwikkeling Richtlijnen Eerste Lijn (Worel)Last published: 2022Guideline multidisciplinaire des soins postnatals dans la première ligne de soins (partie 1)Published by: Groupe de Travail Développement de recommmandations de première ligneLast published: 2022Multidisciplinaire richtlijn Postpartumzorg in de eerste lijn (deel 2)Published by: Werkgroep Ontwikkeling Richtlijnen Eerste Lijn (Worel)Last published: 2024Guideline multidisciplinaire des soins postnatals dans la première ligne de soins (partie 2)Published by: Groupe de Travail Développement de recommmandations de première ligneLast published: 2024

PPH occurs in 5% of all live births and is a major contributor to severe maternal morbidity and mortality.[9][10]

According to the World Health Organization, of the 14 million women worldwide who experience PPH each year, 70,000 die from the condition, with the majority of deaths occurring in Africa and South Asia.[11][12] In the UK and Ireland, the Confidential Enquiry into Maternal Deaths and Morbidity reported that 17 women died from obstetric haemorrhage during or up to 6 weeks after the end of pregnancy in the period 2019-2021, giving an overall mortality rate of 0.80 per 100,000 maternities (95% CI 0.48 to 1.27).[13] In the US, mortality from PPH accounted for just over 10% of maternal deaths in 2009 (approximately 1.7 deaths per 100,000 live births).[3]

Global rates of PPH have been on the rise since the early 2000s.[14][15][16] In the US alone, PPH rates increased by 13% between 2010 and 2014.[17] Nonetheless, mortality in the US has declined since the late 1980s, believed to be attributable to improved management with increasing rates of transfusion and peripartum hysterectomy.[3]

Maternal mortality disproportionately affects individuals of lower socioeconomic status and those residing in low-resource countries. A 2014 systematic analysis of maternal deaths found that PPH is responsible for 8% of maternal deaths in developed countries and 20% of maternal deaths in developing regions.[18] This disparity suggests that a substantial proportion of these deaths could be prevented with improved resources.[18][19]

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