Perfil epidemiológico da mortalidade materna no Brasil.

Abstract

The maternal mortality according to the World Health Organization is defined as the death of a woman during pregnancy or up to 42 days after delivery, regardless of its duration or location, by any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or by conduct taken in relation to it. Given its magnitude and its difficult reduction, it is considered a serious public health problem, since its causes are mostly preventable cases, but continue to occur in Brazil and worldwide. Due to this reality, there were several strategies developed by the Ministry of Health, however, cases of maternal mortality are still quite recurrent. The study aimed to analyze the epidemiological profile of maternal mortality in Brazil. This is a cross-sectional, descriptive, retrospective secondary-based epidemiological study with a quantitative approach. Data were collected in October of this year by means of a pre-established script for recording information contained in the Mortality Information System, available online at the Department of Informatics of the Unified Health System. The sample obtained corresponded to 15.474 records of maternal deaths in Brazil between 2007 and 2017. We used simple descriptive statistics for data analysis, which are presented in tables and graphs. As this was a study that was conducted with open access data, in which there are no direct implications for humans, there was no need for referral to the Research Ethics Committee. It was found that among the regions prevailed the Southeast region with the highest percentage of maternal deaths. According to sociodemographic data, women aged between 20 and 29 years old, brown, single and with eight to 11 years of schooling predominated. Regarding the characteristics of the deaths, the moment of death occurred mainly during the puerperium, up to 42 days, having as its main location the hospital and the direct causes as the prevalent causes of death, highlighting eclampsia and preeclampsia. The study becomes relevant because it characterizes the prevalent data on maternal mortality, leading to the knowledge of both managers and health professionals about the reality experienced in Brazil. Thus, the importance of these data highlights the need for adequate notification of maternal deaths, in order to collaborate in the planning of actions to change the scenario found. As it is also expected to contribute to the reflections on the subject, so that further studies are developed, and it receives adequate attention, so that it is possible to reduce the records of maternal deaths over the years.