Does maternal obesity impact pregnancy-related deaths? Michigan experience

Obesity is a multifactorial non-communicable condition that has become a public health epidemic worldwide. The Fifth Millennium Development Goal established the goal of a 75% reduction in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) between 1990 and 2015. Maternal mortality has been difficult to track over time. Obesity affects pregnancy in more than 50% of women of reproductive age in the state of Michigan; the potential impact of maternal obesity and pregnancy-related deaths (PRDs) has not been studied in Michigan. We conducted a secondary analysis of maternal death cases originally reviewed by the Michigan Maternal Mortality Review Committee from 2004 to 2006 seeking to evaluate the impact of maternal obesity on PRD. Two hundred and five maternal deaths occurred during the period of the study, 61 were classified as PRD. The observed occurrence of PRDs in the obese population was 36 cases while in the non-obese was 25 cases. The study showed a 3.7x risk of PRD in the obese parturient.