Ethnic variation in causes of stillbirth in high‐income countries: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Objective Inequities in stillbirth rate according to ethnicity persist in high‐income nations. The objective of the present study is to investigate whether causes of stillbirth differ by ethnicity in high‐income nations. Methods The following databases were searched since their inception to 1 Februa...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal of gynecology and obstetrics 2022-08, Vol.158 (2), p.270-277
Main Authors: Bhat, Saiuj, Birdus, Nadya, Bhat, Sangeeta Malla
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
causes
ethnicity
fetal
inequity
obstetrics
pregnancy
public health
stillbirth
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Summary:Objective Inequities in stillbirth rate according to ethnicity persist in high‐income nations. The objective of the present study is to investigate whether causes of stillbirth differ by ethnicity in high‐income nations. Methods The following databases were searched since their inception to 1 February 2021: Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, Cochrane Library, and Global Health. Cohort, cross‐sectional, and retrospective studies were included. Causes of stillbirth were aligned to the International Classification of Disease 10 for Perinatal Mortality (ICD10‐PM) and pooled estimates were derived by meta‐analysis. Results Fifteen reports from three countries (72 555 stillbirths) were included. Seven ethnic groups – “Caucasian” (n = 11 studies), “African” (n = 11 studies), “Hispanic” (n = 7 studies), “Indigenous Australian” (n = 4 studies), “Asian” (n = 2 studies), “South Asian” (n = 2 studies), and “American Indian” (n = 1 study) – were identified. There was an overall paucity of recent, high‐quality data for many ethnicities. For those with the greatest amount of data – Caucasian, African, and Hispanic – no major differences in the causes of stillbirth were identified. Conclusion There is a paucity of high‐quality information on causes of stillbirth for many ethnicities. Improving investigation and standardizing classification of stillbirths is needed to assess whether causes of stillbirth differ across more diverse ethnic groups. Limited data investigating the ethnic variation in causes of stillbirth in high‐income countries does not suggest obvious differences between ethnicities.
ISSN:0020-7292
1879-3479
DOI:10.1002/ijgo.14023