Analysis of the Causes and Trends of Maternal Mortality in Korea: 2009-2014

Abstract

Purpose: This study was conducted to analyze recent trends and causes of maternal mortality in Korea between 2009 and 2014. Methods: We investigated trends and causes of maternal death using the data from Complementary Investiga­ tions on the Infant, Maternal, and Perinatal Mortality carried out by Statistics Korea between 2009 and 2014. Maternal age, administrative district, causes of death and gestational age at the time of death were collected from data. Statistics including maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and maternal mortality rate were calculated. We also analyzed MMR according to the age, and administrative districts. The causes of maternal death were sorted and classified using International Classification of Diseases and World Health Organization recommendations. Results: The average MMR during 6 years was 13.16 and maternal mortality rate was 0.45. MMR was highest in 2011 (17.2) and lowest in 2012 (9.9). The average MMR of the administrative districts varied greatly from 7.51 (Gwangju) to 26.84 (Jeju). The average MMR during the study period was lowest in maternal age of 20­ 24 (6.9), and highest in 45-49 (143.7). On average, direct and indirect maternal deaths accounted for 66.2% and 29.9% of total maternal death, respectively. The three most common causes of maternal deaths were obstetrical embolism (24.4%), postpartum hemorrhage (18.3%), and hypertensive disease of pregnancy (5.5%) in decreasing order of frequency. Conclusion: Although MMR is decreasing during the study period, it fluctuates widely according to maternal age, districts, and constant effort for improvements is necessary. To reduce maternal deaths, solution to control preventable causes of maternal deaths, careful management of pregnancies with advanced maternal age, and policy to solve the discrepancy in the medical services among diverse regions in the country are needed.