India tops
list of pre-term births globally
India is leading other countries in the world with the highest number
of deaths due to preterm births by a
difference of millions, according to a new report.
Preterm birth is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of pregnancy are completed.
The first-ever national, regional, and global estimates of preterm birth reveals that 15 million babies are born too soon every year and 1.1 million of those babies die shortly after birth, making premature birth the second-leading cause of death in children under age 5.
Born Too Soon: The Global Action Report on Preterm Birth, highlight the need for more research into the causes of preterm birth and how to prevent it.
According to the report, more than one in every 10 babies is born prematurely and preterm birth rates are increasing in almost all countries with reliable data.
Survivors of premature birth often face a lifetime of disability, including serious infections, cerebral palsy, brain injury, and respiratory, vision, hearing, learning, and developmental problems. New figures in the report showed both the magnitude of the problem and the disparities between countries.
Of the 11 countries with preterm birth rates over 15 per cent, all but two are in sub-Saharan Africa. Preterm births account for 11.1 percent of the world's live births, 60 percent of them in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In the poorest countries, on average, 12 percent of babies are born too soon, compared to 9 per cent in higher-income countries.
However, the problem of preterm births is not confined to low-income countries. The United States and Brazil both rank among the top 10 countries with the highest number of preterm births. In the United States, about 12 percent, or more than one in nine births, are preterm.
List of top 10 countries with the greatest numbers of preterm births include:
1. India - 3,519,100 2. China - 1,172,300 3. Nigeria - 773,600 4. Pakistan - 748,100
5. Indonesia - 675,700 6. United States - 517,400 7. Bangladesh - 424,100
8. Philippines - 348,900 9. Democratic Republic of the Congo - 341,400 10. Brazil - 279,300
Source: www.timesofindia.com
12.05.2012
'Non-oral contraceptives carry higher blood clot risks in women'
Certain non-oral
hormonal contraceptives, skin patches, implants and vaginal rings carry a
higher risk of serious blood clots than others, says a new study.
Several studies have
assessed the risk of venous thrombosis (blood clots) in women using oral
contraceptive pills, but now studies have assessed the risk in users of
non-oral hormonal contraceptives. These products continuously release hormones
into the body to prevent pregnancy more frequently.
A team, led by Ojvind
lidegaard professor at the University of Copenhagen, reviewed data on non-oral
hormonal contraceptive use and first ever venous thrombosis in all Danish
non-pregnant women aged between 15 and 49 years from 2001 to 2010. All the
women had no record of either blood clots or cancer before the study began.
Several factors that
could affect the results, including age and education level, were taken into
account. The results are based on 9,429,128 observation years during which
3,434 confirmed diagnoses of first ever venous thrombosis were recorded, the British
Medical Journal reports.
The risk of clots among
women who did not use any type of hormonal contraception and who were 15-49
years old was on average two events per 10,000 exposure years. Women taking a
combined oral contraceptive pill containing the hormone levonorgestrel had a
three times increased risk, according to a Copenhagen statement.
Compared with non-users
of the same age, women who used a skin patch had an eight times increased risk,
while women who used a vaginal ring had a 6.5 times increased risk.
Unlike combined pills,
no reduction in risk was seen with long-term use of a patch or a vaginal ring.
Based on these findings, the authors calculated that 2,000 women using a
vaginal ring and 1,250 women using a skin patch should shift to a combined pill
containing levonorgestrel to prevent one event of venous thrombosis in one
year.
Source: www.dnaindia.com
12.05.2012
A clever
person solves a problem. A wise person avoids it
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