In Mexico, while overall maternal mortality is declining, deaths from non-communicable diseases remain too high, according to the WHO.
In a country where seven in ten people are overweight, non-communicable diseases in Mexico such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension and cardiovascular disease are a growing threat among pregnant women, according to a Mexican study. American published in the last bulletin of the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of maternal deaths due to complications in childbirth and during pregnancy has declined in low-income countries (from 46.4 to 32.1 per 100,000 births).
Nevertheless, according to the authors of the study, the number of deaths of pregnant women following a non-communicable disease has remained stable over eight years: it represents 13.3 of deaths per 100,000 births.
Deaths from non-communicable diseases are very often linked to type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorders or even hypertension. Another element, certain indirect maternal deaths are also the consequence of transmissible disease (HIV, malaria, hepatitis etc …).
Indirect illnesses represent 1/4 of deaths
These figures worry researchers. According to them, “More than a quarter of maternal deaths in the world are due to indirect causes (…) We are winning the battle against the traditional causes of maternal deaths (…) But not against the indirect causes. maternal deaths, ”said Dr. Rafael Lozano, co-author of the study, in a statement.
The social status of mothers is also in question. “Direct maternal deaths concern women who live in the poorest municipalities, while women who die from indirect causes have generally experienced fewer pregnancies, have a higher level of education and generally live in richer municipalities” , comments Dr Lozano.
Three in ten people are obese
I have to say that Mexico is at high risk for diabetes. Its prevalence is highest among the thirty-four countries of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. And the In recent years, the country has recorded a significant increase in hypercholesterolemia and obesity, affecting women in particular. This study illustrates this phenomenon of “obstetric transition”, a term recently used by researchers to describe the evolution of maternal deaths.
For Dr. Bustreo, co-author of the study, healthcare establishments must adapt to this trend. “To reduce indirect maternal deaths, obstetricians and other health workers (…) must be trained to consider women’s health holistically and not to be content with simply taking charge of their pregnancy. “.
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