Causes of Childhood Mortality at Pediatric Hospital, Benghazi- Libya 2013-2016

Abstract

In the Eastern Mediterranean Region 12.2% of the population comprise children less than 5 years of age. An
estimated 923 000 children under 5 years die every year in the region and under-five mortality has decreased by
only 41% since 1990 to 2011.
The current study aimed to find out the causes of child deaths at Pediatric Hospital in Benghazi (2013-2016).
A retrospective hospital based study was conducted at pediatric hospital in Benghazi (2013-2016). The data were
collected from the department of statistics, including age, sex and residency, causes of deaths. Data analyzed by
SPSS version 20.
The total number of childhood deaths at pediatric Hospital in Benghazi during the three years (2013-2016) was
1475 child. The infant mortality represent 57% , 87% of them were neonatal death. The overall causes of childhood
mortality were due to infection (21%), cardiac arrest (21%), congenital anomalies and syndromes (15%), noncommunicable diseases (11%), and perinatal causes (8%), 72(63.2%) of perinatal cause were due to prematurity,
28(24.6%) birth asphyxia and hypoxia.
The most common causes of fewer than five deaths were infections, and congenital diseases; and the majority of
perinatal deaths were due to prematurity and birth asphyxia.