Study Challenges CDC Data on Maternal Death Rates

A new study published in the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology suggests that maternal death rates in the United States may have been significantly overestimated due to flawed record-keeping practices. Researchers from Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School analyzed National Center for Health Statistics data from 1999 to 2021 and found that overall maternal deaths remained stable at just over 10 per 100,000 live births, contradicting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s reports of a sharp increase.

 

The study attributes the discrepancy to the introduction of a checkbox on death certificates in 2003, which has led to misclassification of maternal deaths. Despite efforts to correct these errors, the CDC’s numbers continue to be artificially inflated, according to Cande Ananth, the study’s senior author.

 

While the research indicates that deaths from direct obstetric causes have decreased, it highlights a rise in deaths from indirect causes aggravated by pregnancy. Crucially, the study reveals persistent racial disparities in maternal health outcomes. Non-Hispanic Black women continue to experience disproportionately high rates of maternal death, with striking disparities in conditions such as ectopic pregnancy, cardiovascular issues, and kidney diseases.

 

The findings underscore the need for improved data collection methods and a renewed focus on treating conditions like hypertension in women of reproductive age. The researchers suggest requiring certifying physicians to specify pregnancy-related causes of death to enhance the accuracy of maternal mortality statistics.

This study emphasizes the importance of addressing racial inequities in maternal health care and highlights the ongoing challenges in accurately measuring and addressing maternal mortality in the United States.

 

See “Maternal death rates may be sharply overstated: study” (March 14, 2024)