Causes of maternal death
| 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | Total for 5 years | Significance (p value) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct causes | 63.7 | 68.6 | 71.7 | 72.6 | 71.0 | 69.6 | NS |
| Post-partum haemorrhage | 15.8 | 20.1 | 25.8 | 27.4 | 24.3 | 22.7 | NS |
| Obstructed labour | 14.6 | 11.8 | 11.6 | 9.1 | 14.0 | 12.3 | NS |
| Obstetric infection* | 9.9 | 8.7 | 13.6 | 10.9 | 8.9 | 10.3 | NS |
| Eclampsia | 8.8 | 8.3 | 9.1 | 14.3 | 7.5 | 9.4 | NS |
| Abortion | 2.9 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 5.7 | 7.0 | 4.4 | <0.001 |
| Anaesthesia complication | 3.5 | 4.8 | 2.5 | 1.1 | 2.8 | 3.0 | NS |
| Amniotic embolism | 1.8 | 5.2 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 0.005 |
| Intra-partum haemorrhage | 2.9 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 1.7 | NS |
| Abnormal pregnancy† | 2.3 | 2.2 | 0.5 | 1.7 | 1.4 | 1.6 | NS |
| Ante-partum haemorrhage | 0.6 | 2.2 | 3.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.2 | 0.013 |
| Other direct causes | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 0.5 | NS |
| Indirect causes | 29.8 | 26.2 | 23.2 | 21.7 | 27.6 | 25.7 | NS |
| Malaria | 11.1 | 8.3 | 0.5 | 6.3 | 11.2 | 7.5 | <0.001 |
| Non-obstetric infection‡ | 4.7 | 4.4 | 6.6 | 2.3 | 4.2 | 4.5 | NS |
| AIDS | 5.3 | 3.9 | 4.5 | 1.1 | 1.9 | 3.3 | NS |
| Other indirect causes | 2.3 | 3.1 | 4.0 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 2.9 | NS |
| Cardiac failure | 1.2 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 2.3 | NS |
| Anaemia | 2.9 | 2.2 | 1,5 | 2.9 | 1.9 | 2.2 | NS |
| Pulmonary embolism | 0.6 | 0.9 | 1.0 | 1.7 | 3.3 | 1.5 | NS |
| Gynaecological cancer | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.1 | 0.9 | 0.7 | NS |
| Other cancers | 0.0 | 0.9 | 1.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.8 | NS |
| Unknown cause | 6.4 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 1.4 | 4.7 | 0.135 |
∗Obstetric infections: postoperative peritonitis, post-partum peritonitis, amnionitis.
†Abnormal pregnancy: ectopic pregnancy, molar pregnancy.
‡Non-obstetric infection: pneumonia, meningitis.
NS, not significant.