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BOSTON (State House News Service) —The volume of people experiencing complications during pregnancy or delivery nearly doubled from 2011 to 2020, according to data released Wednesday by the Department of Public Health.
Episodes of several maternal morbidity (SMM) can lead to short- or long-term health problems -- including eclampsia, acute renal failure and heart attack -- and they might trigger live-saving procedures like hysterectomies, according to the data brief.
The rate of severe maternal morbidity rose from 52 per 10,000 deliveries to 100 per 10,000 deliveries in that timeframe, said Dana Bernson, the director of special analytic projects at DPH's Office of Population Health.
Disparities were statistically significant among people of color, with SMM rates among Black non-Hispanic people 2.3 times higher than their white counterparts, Bernson said during a virtual Public Health Council meeting Wednesday.
"Black non-Hispanic birthing people consistently have the highest SMM rates over the 10-year period, and the inequities are increasing," Bernson said.
Written By: Alison Kuznitz/SHNS
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