Peer-reviewed article
Maternal and Foetal Risk Factors for Stillbirth: A Retrospective Case-Control Study at Al-Buraimi Hospital, Oman.
Gulshan R, Begum S, Biswas M, Ghani A, Zulfiqar R et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This study identified maternal and foetal risk factors for stillbirth at a hospital in Oman during 2024. Researchers compared 64 stillbirths with 64 matched live births and found that inadequate antenatal care, hypertensive disorders, diabetes, anaemia, preterm delivery, and low birth weight were significantly associated with stillbirth. The study concludes that most stillbirths are preventable through better antenatal surveillance and management of maternal conditions.
Key points
- Irregular antenatal care was the strongest independent predictor of stillbirth (adjusted odds ratio 4.8)
- Maternal hypertensive disorders, diabetes, and anaemia were significantly more common in stillbirth cases
- Preterm delivery and low birth weight were highly associated with stillbirth (46.9% and 50% of cases respectively)
- Six independent predictors of stillbirth were identified through multivariate analysis
- Stillbirths were most frequent among mothers aged 25-34 years
Limitations
This is a hospital-based retrospective case-control study from a single facility in Oman, so findings may not be generalizable to other regions or populations. The study describes associations but cannot establish causation or identify mechanisms of how these factors lead to stillbirth.
Abstract
Background Stillbirth is a significant public health issue. The maternal and foetal risk factors often contribute to adverse outcomes. In Oman, while substantial improvements have been made in maternal and neonatal care, stillbirth remains a preventable tragedy in many cases. However, there is a gap in localised data to understand the specific risk profile for stillbirth in Oman, particularly at Al-Buraimi Hospital. Objective The main objective of the study is to identify maternal and foetal risk factors associated with stillbirths at Al-Buraimi Hospital in Al-Buraimi, Oman, in 2024 and determine their relative contribution to foetal demise. Methods A retrospective case-control study was conducted at Al-Buraimi Hospital, including 64 stillbirths and 64 matched live births recorded between January and December 2024. Data were extracted from hospital records, and maternal and foetal variables were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, and multivariate logistic regression. A p-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results Stillbirths were more frequent among those aged 25-34 years (Group 2). Maternal conditions, including hypertensive disorders (31.3% vs. 9.4%, p = 0.002), diabetes (21.9% vs. 7.8%, p = 0.03), and anaemia (28.1% vs. 10.9%, p = 0.02), were significant. Foetal risk factors such as preterm delivery (46.9% vs. 18.8%, p < 0.001) and low birth weight (50% vs. 17.2%, p < 0.001) were highly associated with stillbirth. Multivariate analysis confirmed six independent predictors: irregular antenatal care (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 4.8), hypertensive disorders (AOR = 3.9), preterm delivery (AOR = 3.6), low birth weight (AOR = 3.2), diabetes (AOR = 2.5), and congenital anomalies (AOR = 2.3). Conclusion It is concluded that stillbirths at Al-Buraimi Hospital were largely linked to preventable maternal and foetal factors, particularly inadequate antenatal care and unoptimised maternal comorbidities. Strengthening antenatal surveillance, improving management of high-risk pregnancies, and enhancing foetal monitoring are essential to reduce stillbirth rates in the region.