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The sad news recently circulated around the world that one of the twins, whose father is Cristiano Ronaldo, did not survive the birth. In this case, the exact cause of death is unknown. However, statistics for the world and Poland show that half of the deaths of children during childbirth are due to abnormalities that develop during pregnancy. What other causes of death in newborns could be? We explain.
- Every year 2,6 million newborns die worldwide
- Half of the deaths are caused by diseases that occur during pregnancy and in the first 6 days of a newborn’s life
- Research has shown that a twin pregnancy increases the risk of both disease and death, compared to a single pregnancy
- More current health information can be found on the Onet homepage
What is the death of a newborn?
We talk about the death of a newborn when the death occurs in the first 28 days of a child’s life. Most cases occur in the first week after birth. The stillbirth of a child is the death of a child between the 22nd week of pregnancy and the date of delivery.
Worldwide, about 2,5 million babies die in the first 28 days after birth. This is half of all deaths in children under the age of 5. One million of them die within the first 24 hours.
Newborn mortality
According to the 2018 UNICEF report, babies born in the richest countries are up to 50 times more likely to survive the first month of life than those in the poorest regions of the world. In low-income countries, the infant mortality rate is, on average, 27 deaths per 1000 births. By contrast, in high-income countries, this rate averages 3 deaths per 1000 births.
Children born in Japan, Iceland and Singapore have the best chance of survival, and the smallest — newborns from Pakistan, Central African Republic and Afghanistan. Poland, together in Hungary, was in the middle of this list.
In the 50s, infant mortality in Poland was 108 per 1000 births. In 2010, this percentage was 3,5. The data of the Central Statistical Office of Poland from 2020 speak of an indicator of 2,6.
Why do newborns die?
The aforementioned UNICEF report said that over 80 percent. deaths among newborns are caused by premature delivery, complications in childbirth, and infections such as pneumonia and sepsis.
In Poland, about 70 percent. of infant deaths are premature babies, with 7 percent. preterm population among births. —Preterm babies, especially those born extremely prematurely with very low (<1500 g) and extremely low body weight (<1000 g), are at the highest risk of death in infancy — she said prof. Ewa Helwich, national consultant in the field of neonatology.
- Read also: When a newborn baby dies
Preterm babies can develop life-threatening complications such as breathing problems, bleeding into the ventricles of the brain, infections, and intestinal problems. Low birth weight (i.e. a child’s birth weight less than 2,5 kg) is also associated with health complications (necrotizing enterocolitis)., bacterial or respiratory infections).
According to data from the Central Statistical Office of Poland, newborns in Poland most often die from problems and diseases that developed during pregnancy (pre-eclampsia, complications with the placenta or infections), and also in the first six days of life. Congenital malformations (heart and lung defects, genetic diseases, brain defects) account for one-third of deaths.
The cause of death may also be complications during childbirth (lack of sufficient oxygen), some children lose to strong infections, and some die as a result of injuries.
Twin pregnancy – higher risk
A twin pregnancy carries a greater risk for the health of both the mother and the children, especially for the latter.
In 2018, the World Health Organization conducted research in which 8 people were taken into account. 568 twin pregnancies and 308 thousand. 127 single pregnancies from 29 countries.
They showed that a twin pregnancy was associated with a 37 percent higher pregnancy. the percentage of preterm deliveries compared to single pregnancies, a greater risk of a score below 7 Apgar points (7,8% for the first and 10,1 for the second twin, respectively) and a greater risk of low birth weight (53,2% for the first and 61,1, XNUMX% for the second twin).
In the case of twins, the risk of being admitted to the ICU also increases by 23,6 and 29,3 percent, respectively, and any adverse perinatal outcomes by 67 and 72,3 percent.
As for stillbirth, the risk was higher by 3,6 and 5,7, while the risk of a newborn dying increases by 3,5%. in the case of the first of twins and by 5,2 percent. in the case of the second.
See also:
- Newborn screening tests – how and for what purpose?
- The most common genetic diseases. How are they made
- Infections in the neonatal period