Clinical and anamnestic risk factors for antenatal death of a full-term fetus

I n t r o d u c t i o n . Current clinical and laboratory methods for assessing the intrauterine growth of a fetus are indirect and often have a low prognostic significance. Meanwhile, the determination of risk factors of antenatal death of a full-term fetus with the assessment of their prognostic significance and the possible preventability of adverse perinatal outcome will identify ways to reduce the stillbirth rate.
A i m . Determine the clinical and anamnestic risk factors for antenatal death of a full-term fetus in the Chelyabinsk region.
M a t e r i a l s  a n d  m e t h o d s . A retrospective analysis of the medical records of all cases with antenatal fetal death at 37 weeks 0 days – 41 weeks 6 days of pregnancy, registered in the territory of the Chelyabinsk region from 2019 to 2021, was carried out. Two groups were assigned: group 1 – women with antenatal death of the full-term fetus (158 patients), group 2 – women with live full-term births (50 patients).
R e s u l t s . Women with antenatal death of the full-term fetus statistically significantly more often lived in the city of Chelyabinsk and big cities of the Chelyabinsk region, had secondary vocational education and used to smoke tobacco; they had first or second pregnancy and first delivery. Among these women, female pelvic inflammatory diseases, hypertension, endocrine system diseases and specific infectious diseases (HIV infection, hepatitis C and tuberculosis) were statistically more common. These women had statistically more pregnancy-related complications such as hypertension without significant proteinuria; diabetes mellitus arising in pregnancy; gestational edema; false labour up to 37 full weeks of pregnancy; placental disorders; maternal care for poor fetal growth; acute respiratory infections. The following factors have a direct impact on antenatal death at full-term pregnancy: a history of hypertension, moderate pre-eclampsia, placental disorders, and fetal growth retardation.
C o n c l u s i o n . In the presence of risk factors directly affecting the occurrence of antenatal death of a full-term fetus, we consider it appropriate to deliver at 37 weeks 0 days – 38 weeks 0 days of pregnancy in order to reduce the risk of an adverse outcome of pregnancy.

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