Preterm birth, low birth weight, and their co-occurrence among women with preexisting chronic diseases prior to conception: a cross-sectional analysis of postpartum women in a low-resource setting in Ghana.

Autor: Nukpezah RN; School of Nursing and Midwifery, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana., Abanga EA; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana.; Department of Paediatrics and Child Welfare, Tamale Teaching Hospital, Tamale, Ghana., Adokiya MN; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana., Aninanya GA; Department of Health Service, Policy Planning, Management and Economics, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana., Odiakpa LO; Statistical Intelligence Unit, National Bureau of Statistics, Abuja, Nigeria., Shehu N; United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Maiduguri Field Office, Maiduguri, Nigeria., Chukwu NM; United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Sokoto Field Office, Sokoto, Nigeria., Mahama AB; United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), Sokoto Field Office, Sokoto, Nigeria., Boah M; Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Disease Control, School of Public Health, University for Development Studies, Tamale, Ghana. mboah@ughe.org.; Center for Population Health, Institute of Global Health Equity Research, University of Global Health Equity, Kigali, Rwanda. mboah@ughe.org.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Maternal health, neonatology and perinatology [Matern Health Neonatol Perinatol] 2024 Sep 03; Vol. 10 (1), pp. 18. Date of Electronic Publication: 2024 Sep 03.
DOI: 10.1186/s40748-024-00188-2
Abstrakt: Background: The incidence of chronic diseases, which are significant contributors to maternal deaths and adverse new-born outcomes, is increasing among women of reproductive age in northern Ghana. This emerging health issue raises serious concerns about the potential exacerbation of adverse birth outcomes in this setting, given that it is one of the regions in the country with a high incidence of such outcomes. We investigated the risks of preterm birth (PTB), low birth weight (LBW), and concurrent PTB and LBW among women with preexisting chronic conditions prior to conception in the Tamale Metropolis of northern Ghana.
Methods: A facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 420 postpartum women randomly selected from five public health facilities. Information was collected electronically on participants' self-reported experience of chronic conditions, namely, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, heart disease, and sickle cell disease, prior to their most recent pregnancy. Information on gestational age at delivery and birth weight was also collected. Regression modeling was used to quantify the risk of adverse newborn outcomes among women who reported preexisting chronic conditions prior to pregnancy.
Results: Chronic diseases affected 31.2% of our sample. Of these, 28.6% had a single chronic condition, while 2.6% had comorbid chronic conditions. The prevalence of PTB was 24.0% (95% CI: 20.2, 28.4), 27.6% (95% CI: 23.5, 32.1) of the newborns were born LBW, and 17.4% (95% CI: 14.0, 21.3) of the pregnancies resulted in both PTB and LBW. Compared with those without chronic conditions, women with chronic conditions prior to conception had a greater risk of PTB (aOR = 6.78, 95% CI: 3.36, 13.68), LBW (aOR = 5.75, 95% CI: 2.96, 11.18), and the co-occurrence of PTB and LBW (aOR = 7.55, 95% CI: 3.32, 17.18).
Conclusions: We observed significant rates of PTB, LBW, and the co-occurrence of PTB and LBW among women who were already aware that they had preexisting chronic conditions prior to conception. Our findings highlight a potential gap in the quality of prenatal care provided to these women before delivery. Preconception care may offer an opportunity to address preexisting chronic conditions in women before pregnancy and potentially improve maternal and newborn health outcomes.
(© 2024. The Author(s).)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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