EPIDEMIOLOGY OF MATERNAL MORTALITY IN SAUDI-ARABIA

A three year maternal mortality survey in Saudi Arabia has identified the various epidemiologic risk factors for maternal deaths. Unbooked, uneducated and economically underprivileged females were at increased risk of maternal death, especially >para 7 females, who were found to be at increased risk of maternal death, particularly deaths due to hem orrhage, pulmonary embolism and uterine rupture. In Saudi Arabia: ther e are contradictory risk factors for maternal death; e.g. low female l iteracy rate, early marriage and unregulated high fertility, and afflu ence which has brought about improvements in all walks of life includi ng health services. increasing the number of booked patients, especial ly among the elderly grand multipara, improving the quality of emergen cy obstetric services and achieving a higher female education rate are likely to bring the present maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 18 per 100,000 births down to a minimum. The MMR obtained in this study compa red favorably with those of the oil-producing Gulf countries and the d eveloping and developed countries of the world.