India tops in premature deliveries
India tops the list in premature deliveries while China comes second.
By : DC Correspondent
Update: 2013-11-18 09:43 GMT
Chennai: India tops the list of nations in premature deliveries as about 35 lakh preterm deliveries happen every year, whereas it’s only 11 lakh in China, said neonatologist, Dr Deepa Hariharan.
Speaking at an event organised by the Indian Foundation for Premature Babies (IFPB) to create awareness on preterm births on World Prematurity Day, Sunday, Dr Hariharan said one in five pregnancies in India could end in premature delivery of baby.
Health secretary, Dr J. Radhakrishnan released Delivered Too Soon, an action report on preterm birth in India. “Stress is one of the important factors that contribute to preterm. But there’s no scientific data to prove it.
But what we neonatologists see is that stress has been a major factor. Other factors are hypertension, diabetes and infection,” says Dr Hariharan, adding anemia, young or advanced maternal age and deliveries in assisted reproductive technology also contribute to preterm births.
WHO says preterm birth as birth before 37 weeks of completed gestation or birth before 259 days since the first day of a woman’s last menstrual period. These babies need special care in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). “About 75 per cent of premature babies need simple intervention without any advanced technologies. Prematurity is a rude shock to parents that they are not able to take any decision immediately as the first minute and the first one hour after the delivery is the golden period,” explained the neonatologist.
The Delivered Too Soon report is a multi-faceted study on the growth, gains and gaps in the Indian scenario. The report raises concern about the financial burden on families to save a premature infant, the maximum burden is seen when the baby is between 28 and 36 weeks. Parents of premature babies shared their experiences at the event.
Shyama, who came from Bengaluru, said she delivered her baby in 27 weeks. “My baby was in NICU for nearly 110 days. Those days were very tough and I came all the way from Bengaluru just to be part of this awareness on preterm,” she said.
Factors: Increased lifestyle diseases in pregnant women, increase in multiple pregnancies and introduction of ART and also rising prevalence of gestational diabetes in pregnant women.
WHO states that 15 million babies are born premature worldwide every year and one million babies die annually from complications of prematurity.
India accounts for 23.6 per cent of the global preterm births, out of which 13 per cent are live preterm births
The report says perinatal conditions (33%) are a leading cause of neonatal mortality and morbidity in India
Prevention: Proper diet, exercise, stress reduction and maintaining weight