Perinatal mortality in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Abstract
The aim of the study was to investigate the most frequent causes of perinatal mortality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We analyzed in a retrospective study over a one year period (1999) the following cantons: Sarajevo, Mostar, Tuzla, Bihać, Gorazde, Travnik, Zenica, which represent about one half of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Perinatal mortality in the analyzed regions within Bosnia and Herzegovina was 19.55@1000, which is unacceptable in comparison with developed countries. Early neonatal mortality (9@1000) was lower than late fetal mortality 10.55@1000. The most frequent causes of death were: premature birth, 6.32% of all deliveries; EPH gestosis with a rate of 9% of all deliveries and fetal anomalies with 0.68% of all deliveries. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, prematurity is the cause of early neonatal mortality in 78.5% of cases, while fetal anomalies are the cause in the early new-born period in 10.70% of cases. The results of perinatal mortality analyses in Bosnia and Herzegovina confirm that perinatal mortality directly depends on the development of the health care system, economic sustainability, and living conditions. Our results show that Bosnia and Herzegovina fall into the category of developing country with a perinatal mortality rate of 19.55@1000.