Causas e fatores associados à mortalidade de mulheres em idade reprodutiva em Recife, Brasil

Abstract

Reproductive-age women, especially in developing countries, have failed to receive proper attention from the health care sector except during pregnancy. This study's objective was to contribute to the knowledge of the most frequent causes of death in this population group. The main purpose was to evaluate the occurrence and recording of deaths among women 10 to 49 years of age in Recife, Pernambuco, Brazil, during 1992 and 1993, and to identify and group the corrected causes of these deaths. It was a population-based descriptive study. After all death certificates eligible for the study were identified at the Health Secretariat of the State of Pernambuco, coding of the basic cause of death was performed. When necessary for its elucidation, a complementary investigation was also carried out at the hospital, autopsy service, and/or through an interview with the attending physician and a household visit. The 9th Revision of the ICD was used for coding the corrected basic cause of death. One thousand thirteen deaths of reproductive-age women were identified. The most frequent groups of causes of deaths were neoplasms, circulatory diseases, and external causes. Complications associated with pregnancy, delivery, and puerperium were the ninth most common cause of death in this group.