Pregnancy-associated morbidity in Northern Nigeria

We sought to determine the magnitude and spatio-temporal pattern of maternal morbidity in Kano State, Nigeria. Analysis was on deliveries within the period 1990-1999. We counted 59 772 maternal complications among 171 621 deliveries, yielding an overall maternal morbidity ratio of 34.8%. We observed yearly variations and increment in the number of complications among mothers (p = 0.04). A total of 4154 maternal deaths were registered within the period. The level of maternal deaths correlated significantly with burden of morbidity (r = 0.44; p = 0.0008). Case fatality rate was 6.9% with temporal fluctuations, and wide variations among the various health institutions. Our study revealed an extremely high morbidity ratio, which indicates that a high proportion of pregnant mothers are in need of essential obstetric care in this population.