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| Authors | M Z Mangion M Mifsud Y Muscat Baron M Formosa R Galea M P Brincat |
| Abstract | The incidence of preterm delivery occurs at around 5%. Preterm delivery is the most common cause of fetal morbidity and perinatal mortality. Women who have had a spontaneous preterm delivery, will be at an increased risk of having a preterm delivery in subsequent pregnancies and among the complications related to prematurity, there are respiratory distress syndrome, necrotising enterocolitis and intraventricular haemorrhage. Over the past three years 119 women were noted to have sustained preterm delivery (24 - 34 weeks gestation). A number of clinical features were assessed in an effort to delineate possible causal factors for preterm delivery in this group of women. The most common cause for preterm delivery was premature rupture of membranes. Premature rupture of membranes was the initiating cause in 68 women (55.8%). This was followed by bleeding in both early and late pregnancy 27 women (23%). Pregnancy induced hypertension and multiple pregnancies accounted for 13.4% and 14% of preterm deliveries respectively. Abnormal glucose metabolism was associated with 8.4% of preterm delivery. A number of pregnancies had two or more of the above complications. Two thirds of these pregnancies (64.7%) were delivered by Caesarean Section. Intrauterine death and early neonatal death soon after delivery occurred in 15.1% of the premature neonates delivered. The majority of the surviving neonates required transfer to the Special Care Baby Unit. Preterm delivery accounts for substantial fetal mortality and surviving premature neonates require intensive SCBU care. Efforts should be directed at the possible causal factors of preterm delivery so as to diminish the birth of premature neonates. |
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| Journal | Malta Medical Journal |
| Volume | 15 Issue 1-2/suppl. 2003 |
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| Key words | antecedent cause, caesarean section, premature rupture of membranes, preterm |