Research on the Demographic Variables associated with Diabetes and Fetal Death in the United States

Abstract

Infant mortality has declined significantly worldwide from the last century to the present. Over the past few decades, however, the decline in neonatal mortality has far outpaced that of fetal mortality. Fetal death accounts for almost 50% of all perinatal deaths, and with intrauterine fetal death ranking in the top five causes worldwide, fetal death remains an important and understudied problem. Diabetes is one of the main reasons and increases fetal mortality risk fivefold. In the United States, from 2014 to 2016, this study compares the disparities in fetal fatalities among women of all races who had gestational diabetes or did not. With a total of 1300 patients reporting a diagnosis of gestational diabetes, statistical significance was shown for the variables of mother education of high school or equivalent, pre-pregnancy body mass index of overweight, and area of fetal birth of the South. The rate of fetal mortality was 16% higher in patients with gestational diabetes than in non-patients without gestational diabetes, according to a negative binomial regression model.