Epidemiological, clinical, and prognostic aspects of preterm birth over 10 years in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Background: Preterm birth is an emerging global public health problem. The aim was to determine the epidemiological, clinical, and prognostic aspects of preterm newborns delivered at a sanitary training centre in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and describe the mothers of preterm newborns, the circumstances of childbirth, and the clinical characteristics of preterm newborns in order to calculate and study mortality. Material and methods: This retrospective study includes all preterm newborns hospitalized in the neonatology unit of Clinique El Fateh-Suka over a 10-year period. Results: The frequency of preterm birth was 193 of 574 gestational age-specified newborns (33.6%). Insufficient antenatal consultation, premature rupture of membranes, and pathology during pregnancy comprised 58%, 64.9%, and 82.6% of preterm birth cases, respectively. The main pathologies associated with preterm birth included hemorrhagic and hematological disorders (42.5%), neonatal infections (23.3%), congenital malaria (21.8%), and intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia (13.5%). The incidence of mortality was 21.2%, and the major causes of mortality included hemorrhagic and hematological disorders (46.3%), intrauterine hypoxia and birth asphyxia (22%), and neonatal infections (14.6%). These deaths were more frequent in the early neonatal period than late neonatal period (30.8% vs. 6.1%) (OR = 6.91; 95% CI [2.34–20.40]; P = 0.000). Conclusion: Preterm birth occurs frequently in our neonatology unit, and the involved complications are as expected. Providing high-quality antenatal consultations will reduce the incidence of preterm birth. An improved system of care for newborns would also greatly reduce preterm mortality.