Utilisation of Hospital Services in Italy: A Comparative Analysis of Immigrant and Italian citizens

In Italy, immigrants from Less Developed Countries (LDCs) have doubled every 10 years since the 1970s and this number grew to 330,000 at the end of 1981, and to more than 1,300,000 in 2001. As the presence of immigrants increases, it becomes ever more important to assess their health needs and utilisation of health services, in order to promote adequate programmes and policies. This study was aimed to compare the patterns of hospital use by immigrants from LDCs living in the Lazio Region, Italy, with those of the resident Italians. The study was based on the hospital discharge data collected by the Lazio Region Hospital Information System. Discharges of immigrants from acute hospitals in Lazio during 2005 were compared with discharges of resident Italians. Age- and sex-specific hospitalisation rates (per 1,000) were also calculated for legal immigrants and Italians aged 18 years and over. Of 56,610 foreign patients from LCDs admitted to hospitals in Lazio during 2005, 88% were legally residing in the region. The immigrants were younger than the Italians (mean age 30.6 and 51.7 years, respectively), more than half were female and single, and about 1/3 had studied for 9 or more years. Among males, a similar pattern of hospital use by age was observed for foreigners and Italians, with the rates for foreigners in acute care being higher among young people (due to traumatic accidents) and lower among the oldest. Differently, among foreign females, the admission rates for both acute and day care settings varied with women’s age, the pattern of hospital use being strongly influenced by reproductive events. The main reason for hospitalisation of foreign males in acute care was injuries (approximately 1/4 of all discharges), and in day care was neoplasms; among females, more than half of the admissions were for childbirth in acute or induced abortions in day care. Injuries for males and induced abortions for females were identified as critical areas for migrants’ health, in which public health interventions may be promoted.     

Health conditions of immigrant women in Italy

The number of immigrant women in Italy has increased from 260,000 in 1991 to at least 750,000 in 2003. This article describes the health situation of these women, in particular it deals with reproductive health. Immigrant women are generally young, in good health and they go to the health services mainly for pregnancy, delivery, spontaneous and induced abortion. Forty-eight per cent of acute hospital admissions and 56 per cent of day hospital admissions in 2002 were related to reproduction. Among foreign citizens, the induced abortion rate is three times higher than that reported among Italians, while the risk of spontaneous abortion is similar (97 per thousand and 101 per thousand, respectively). In general, the data show that immigrant women in Italy live in deprived social conditions, which can influence their reproductive choices and their access to health services. In order to take account of their particular needs, it is necessary to modify the health services and plan public health interventions especially for the prevention of induced abortion.     

School achievement: risk factor in teenage pregnancies?

A review of live births, spontaneous fetal deaths, and induced abortions in residents of Upstate New York ages 12--17 shows that pregnancy rates increased during the period 1971 through 1974. This increase was attributable to pregnancies ending in induced abortion while live births remained relatively stable. White teenagers had a higher frequency of induced abortions than non-white teenagers, but induced abortions increased more rapidly among non-whites over the four-year period. School achievement as reflected by highest grade completed at the end of pregnancy was related to risk of pregnancy as well as to election of induced abortions. The distribution of pregnancies by age and school grade suggests that an increased risk of pregnancy is associated with below average but also, and unexpectedly, with above average grade attainment. Incongruity of age and school achievement may identify groups of teenage schoolgirls with special needs for preventive programs.     

The effect of legal abortion on teenage fertility in Trieste, Italy

Abortion has been legal and publicly funded in Italy since 1978. However, unmarried women under 18 must obtain parental consent or written permission from their legal guardian or from a judge to undergo the operation. In this study an assessment is made on whether the recent law has had a particular impact upon the fertility of teenagers living in Trieste, a city of 250,000 inhabitants, located in northeast Italy. Data were obtained on 1st births among women aged 15-19 for the years 1977-81. 1st births were classified as: premaritally conceived, uncertain or postmaritally conceived. During the study period, the total number of births to Trieste residents fell from 1878 to 1326, a 29% decline. The number of out-of-wedlock births remained quite stable and the number of postmarital cenceptions fluctuated. Marital births resulting from premarital conception declined appreciable from 66% to 51%. It seem s likley that the most relevant factor accounting for the overall decline in teenage fertility is the availability of legal abortion. The very high legal abortion ratios for all women of reproductive age further confirms this hypothesis. The ratios are particularly high among younger teenagers, who had just over 2 abortions, an average, for every live birth in 1980 and 1981. The estimated age-specific abortion rates for woman aged 15-19 living in Trieste are very much higher than the 1981 rate for Italy as a whole. The historical and geographical nature of Trieste may, to some extent, help explain why Trieste women resort to abortion more frequently than other Italian women. When it was an important seaport, Trieste was an affluent city, but today most citizens view its decline as irreversible and consequently try to enjoy the present. Couples have only 1 child not expecting life to improve for the future generation. The trend also probably reflects the enhanced capability of young women to assume control over their reproductive lives. Voluntary interruption of pregnancy is sought by those who feel not yet ready to start a family or to marry the father.     

Spontaneous abortions and birth defects related to tap and bottled water use, San Jose, California, 1980-1985.

We recently studied pregnancies occurring during 1980-1985 in four study areas in Santa Clara County, California. Two of the areas were exposed to solvent-contaminated drinking water during 1980 and 1981, and two were unexposed. There was an overall excess of spontaneous abortions among women who reported any tapwater consumption during the first trimester of pregnancy compared with those who reported no tapwater consumption [odds ratio (OR) = 4.0; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.8-9.1)], regardless of exposure to the contaminated water. The odds ratio for spontaneous abortion for women reporting any vs no tapwater was 6.9 (95% CI = 2.7-17.7) after adjustment for numerous potential confounders using multiple logistic regression analyses. The elevated odds ratio of spontaneous abortion was seen among tapwater drinkers who used no filters or softener-type filters but not among women who reported use of active filters. Spontaneous abortion rates were reduced in women who reported any vs no bottled water consumption (OR = 0.26; 95% CI = 0.16-0.43). Among women who reported no tapwater consumption, no birth defects occurred among 263 live births; in comparison, among women who reported tapwater consumption, 4% of 908 live births had defects (P = 0.0001). We observed no relation between birth defects and bottled water use.     

高海拔地区藏族育龄妇女自然流产的流行病学特点

目的 了解中国高海拔地区15～49岁藏族育龄妇女自然流产状况。方法 采用横断面调查设计和分层多阶段抽样法获得样本，采用问卷调查西藏地区15～49岁藏族育龄妇女的生育史。结果 共调查3741名15～49岁的藏族育龄妇女，共计10245次妊娠，报告的自然流产386次，自然流产发生率为3墙％，城市妇女显著高于农村妇女，农牧区之间差异无统计学意义，育龄妇女发生自然流产的风险在控制了可能的影响因素后随着海拔高度的增加而增高。居住在海拔4500m以上的育龄妇女发生自然流产的风险是居住在海拔3500m以下妇女的近2倍多。年龄和妊娠的次数显著与自然流产的发生有正相关关系，35岁以上的育龄妇女和多次妊娠的妇女发生自然流产的风险增大。结论 高海拔可能独立的影响藏族妇女自然流产的发生，在高海拔地区更应加强健康教育和育龄妇女孕产期保健与营养，减少妊娠次数，延长生育间隔，以减少自然流产的发生。此外，回顾性的生育史调查可能会因回忆偏性等因素而低估了自然流产的发生，但西藏地区育龄妇女的自然流产水平不一定比平原地区高很多。     

Africa's unsafe abortions

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the death rate from unsafe abortion in Africa is 110/100,000 live births, the highest in the world. In the US, the death rate from abortion is 0.6/100,000. The WHO has concluded that reducing unwanted pregnancies in Africa would dramatically reduce the number of deaths from unsafe abortion. Death from unsafe abortion is the easiest to prevent and treat of all of the causes of maternal mortality. In Ghana, complications of unsafe abortion are the primary causes of death among women of reproductive age, claiming approximately 1200 each year. In response, the government is training community-based midwives to use manual vacuum aspiration to clear the uterus of fetal remains after a woman has a spontaneous miscarriage or unsafe abortion.     

Characteristics of women with recurrent spontaneous abortions and women with favorable reproductive histories.

Women with a history of recurrent spontaneous abortions (repeaters) are compared with women who have had live births and no spontaneous abortions (multiparae) and women who have had live births and only one spontaneous abortion (sporadics) to identify characteristics of the women and their abortuses that might predict subsequent fetal loss. A number of risk factors for recurrent spontaneous abortion have been identified: the loss of a chromosomally normal conception, loss after the first trimester of pregnancy, a delay in conceiving prior to the study pregnancy, a diagnosis of cervical incompetence, and a history of very low birthweight deliveries. The odds ratios associated with being a repeater vary from 1.4 to 5.6 depending on the number of characteristics present.     

The Safe Motherhood Initiative: a call for action

An official call for action was issued at the end of the conference on Safe Motherhood held in Nairobi, Kenya, in February 1987. The conference was organized to draw attention to the half million maternal deaths that occur each year. Women in developing countries run 50-100 times the risk of dying in pregnancy or childbirth than their counterparts in developed countries. There are only 2.9 maternal deaths/100,000 live births in developing countries compared to 300-1000 maternal deaths/100,000 live births in developing countries. Illegal abortion from unwanted pregnancies accounts for 25-50% of these deaths. The causes of maternal mortality are rooted in the adverse social, cultural, economic, and political environment women face in the Third World. These causes must be addressed if women's health and status are to be improved in the long term. On the other hand, there is an immediate need for low-cost, effective interventions that can have a major impact on reducing mortality and morbidity from obstructed labor, hemorrhage, toxemia, infection, and complications of abortion. A political commitment must be generated to reallocate resources so that maternal mortality can be reduced by 50% in 1 decade. Needed is an integrated approach to maternal health care that makes it a priority within the context of primary health care services and overall development policy. Women need to be involved in planning and implementing programs and policies to ensure that their needs and preferences are taken in account. In addition, family planning and family life education programs need to be expanded and made socially, culturally, financially, and geographically accessible. These activities need to involve both governments and take advantage of the flexibility, responsiveness, and creativity of nongovernmental organizations.     

Abortion surveillance, 1986-1987

Since 1980, the number of legal abortions reported to CDC has remained fairly stable, varying each year by less than 3%. In 1986, 1,328,112 abortions were reported; in 1987, that number increased by approximately 2% to 1,353,671. The abortion ratio for 1986 was 354 legally induced abortions per 1,000 live births; the ratio for 1987 was 356 per 1,000. The national abortion rate was 23/1,000 females ages 15-44 years for 1986 and 24/1,000 females ages 15-44 years in 1987. Abortion ratios were higher among women of black and other minority races and among women less than 15 years of age. Women undergoing legally induced abortions tended 1) to be young, white, and unmarried, 2) to have had no previous live births, and 3) to be having the procedure for the first time. In 1987, approximately half of all abortions were performed before the eighth week of gestation, and greater than 85% were performed during the first trimester of pregnancy (less than 13 weeks of gestation).     

Características sociodemográficas de la interrupción voluntaria del embarazo en Andalucía: diferencias entre población autóctona y extranjera

Objectives

To describe the variables associated with induced abortions in Andalusia (Spain) and the differences between native and foreign populations.

Material and methods

A cross-sectional population-based study was carried out. The files on deliveries and induced abortions were combined to create a single file for the period 2007-2010. A binary logistic regression model was employed. The dependent variable was whether the pregnancy ended in delivery or induced abortion. The independent variables were the year, province of residence, number of previous children, schooling, cohabitation and nationality. The raw and adjusted odds ratios and the 95% confidence intervals were calculated for native and foreign women.

Results

Of 460,716 pregnancies, 17% ended in an induced abortion and 83% in delivery. The variables most closely associated with the risk of an induced abortion among native and foreign women in Andalusia were having three or more previous children (OR = 23.06), being under 25 years old (OR = 19.53), living alone (OR = 10.04) and being an immigrant (OR = 3.95), especially in African women. The rates of abortions, fecundity and fertility were higher in foreigners than in native women, with an increase in abortions and a decrease in fertility and fecundity.

Conclusions

The women at greatest risk of having an abortion in Andalusia are young foreign women, especially those from Africa, who live alone, have previous children and secondary education and reside in the province of Huelva.     

The logistics of abortion services in the absence of restrictive criminal legislation in the United States.

In anticipation of the expected rise in demand for induced abortion (estimated to reach 500 abortions per 1000 live births within 5 to 10 years) planning should be for provision of public education, patient counseling, safe surgical care, and contraceptive counseling and services. Planning should include the establishment of health department standards with investigation of abortion complications, guidelines for individual selection of abortion procedures for each woman, and supervision of personnel. The possibility of technical training of non-professional personnel to assist in abortion, research in abortion technology, funds for the care of indigent women, and examination of the attitudes of health professionals are other topics discussed.     

Induced abortion and low birthweight in the following pregnancy

BACKGROUND: To examine whether induced abortion increases the risk of low birthweight in subsequent singleton live births. METHODS: Cohort study using the Danish Medical Birth Registry (MBR), the Hospital Discharge Registry (HDR), and the Induced Abortion Registry (IAR). All women who had their first pregnancy during 1980-1982 were identified in the MBR, the HDR, and the IAR. We included all 15,727 women whose pregnancy was terminated by a first trimester induced abortion in the induced abortion cohort and 46,026 women whose pregnancy was not terminated by an induced abortion were selected for the control cohort. All subsequent pregnancies until 1994 were identified by register record linkage. RESULTS: Low birthweight (<2500 g) in singleton term live births occurred more frequently in women with one, two, three or more previous induced abortions, compared with women without any previous induced abortion of similar gravidity, 2.2% versus 1.5%, 2.4% versus 1.7%, and 1.8% versus 1.6%, respectively. Adjusting for maternal age and residence at time of pregnancy, interpregnancy interval, gender of newborn, number of previous spontaneous abortions and number of previous low birthweight infants (control cohort only), the odds ratios (OR) of low birthweight in singleton term live births in women with one, two or more previous first trimester induced abortions were 1.9 (95% CI: 1.6, 2.3), and 1.9 (95% CI: 1.3, 2.7), respectively, compared with the control cohort of similar gravidity. High risks were mainly seen in women with an interpregnancy interval of more than 6 months. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest a positive association between one or more first trimester induced abortions and the risk of low birthweight in subsequent singleton term live births when the interpregnancy interval is longer than 6 months. This result was unexpected and confounding cannot be ruled out.     

Epidemiology of abortion

This brief summary presents information on the epidemiology of abortion requested by IPPF. In 1975, 8% of the world's population lived in areas where the law prohibits abortion completely, and 27% lived in areas where abortions are severely restricted. Over 2 years, 40,000 hospitalizations for abortion complications were reported in such countries, with 168 deaths. 21% of women hospitalized for a diagnosis related to abortion died. In Latin America, hospitalization and death because of illegal abortion led to epidemiological studies. In Chile, surveys indicate that 1/4 women has had an abortion. Colombia data state that 10 women die/week from abortion complications. Bangladesh identified 31 abortion deaths. When related to live births occurring in the area from which the deaths were reported, the abortion mortality ratio was 19/1000,000 live births. Data from Romania showed that before 1966, when abortion was legal, there were fewer than 100 reported deaths. After 1966, when abortion was restricted, crude birth rate increased from 15-40/1000 total population. During the following 4 years, the birth rate dropped until it was below 25, but concomitant deaths due to abortion increased. In 1965, 64 abortion-related deaths occurred, whereas by 1971, abortion-related deaths increased to 364. In North America abortion deaths and number of illegal abortions decreased dramatically after 1973, when abortion became legal in the U.S. In 1972, illegal abortions led to the deaths of 41 women, but in 1974 only 5 such deaths occurred. If women with unplanned or unwanted pregnancies all underwent abortion within the 1st 8 weeks of pregnancy, 90% of the deaths due to legal abortion could be prevented.     

Race-specific patterns of abortion use by American teenagers.

Between 1972 and 1978, as legal abortion became more widely available nationally, abortion rates (abortions per 1,000 women) and ratios (abortions per 1,000 live births) increased for all American teenagers; from 1972 to 1975, the rates and ratios for teenagers for Black and other races increased faster than those for White teenagers. For all seven years, abortion rates were higher for teenagers of Black and other races than for white teenagers. This reflected both higher proportions of sexually active teenagers of Black and other races and a greater risk of pregnancy in these teenagers compared with White teenagers. Race-specific differences in legal abortion ratios narrowed during the seven-year interval, as did differences in alternative outcomes of teenage premarital pregnancies (term births, illegal abortions).     

Pregnancies,Abortions, and Births among Women with and without Borderline Personality Disorder

BackgroundThe purpose of this study was to examine history of pregnancies among women with and without borderline personality disorder (BPD), to determine whether BPD symptoms are associated with teenage pregnancies, unplanned pregnancies, elective and spontaneous abortions, and live births.MethodsThree hundred seventy-nine women completed the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I diagnoses, Structured Interview for DSM-IV Personality for Axis II diagnoses, and a reproductive health interview. African-American (AA) women were oversampled, because little is known about BPD in AA women and they are at greater risk of teenage pregnancy, unplanned pregnancies, and spontaneous abortions.ResultsBPD symptom severity was associated with a teenage pregnancy, even after controlling for race and socioeconomic status. Symptom severity was also associated with unplanned pregnancies and live births, but only for women without a history of a substance use disorder. BPD symptom severity was not associated with abortion.ConclusionWomen with BPD become pregnant and have children, often during the period when BPD symptoms emerge and intensify. They are at increased risk of teenage pregnancies and unintended pregnancies compared with women with Axis I disorders. Treatment planning for this population should include attention to their reproductive health and better integration of physical and mental health services.     

Paternal occupational lead exposure and spontaneous abortion

A case-referent study was conducted on whether occupational exposure of men to inorganic lead is related to spontaneous abortion in their wives. The men were biologically monitored for lead exposure. The cases (213 spontaneous abortions) and referents (300 births) were identified from medical registers. Lead exposure was assessed with blood lead (PbB) measurements and data obtained from a questionnaire. The results did not show a statistically significant relationship between spontaneous abortion and paternal lead exposure among all the study subjects. A significant increase was observed in the risk of those women whose husbands had been monitored (PbB greater than or equal to 1.5 mumol/l) during or close to the time of spermatogenesis. The association between lead exposure and spontaneous abortion was modified also by the age of the wife and paternal alcohol use. The findings suggest that there may be an association between paternal lead exposure and the risk of spontaneous abortion.     

An excess of tetralogy of Fallot in Malta

STUDY OBJECTIVE: To estimate birth prevalence of tetralogy of Fallot (TF) in Malta. DESIGN: Retrospective data collection and analysis, and comparison with earlier epidemiological studies dealing with congenital heart disease. SETTING: Regional hospital providing exclusive diagnostic and follow up services for the entire country of Malta. PATIENTS: All Maltese live births diagnosed as having TF. MAIN RESULTS: The birth prevalence of TF in Malta for the period 1980-1994 was 0.64/1000 live births (95% confidence intervals 0.48, 0.85/1000 live births). This was significantly higher than previously reported in the medical literature. CONCLUSIONS: The Maltese gene pool seems to have a genetic predisposition towards live births with TF. Population genetic studies with emphasis on the prevalence of 22q11 microdeletion may yield clues regarding the cause of the high rate of this condition.

 

     

Deliveries, abortion and HIV-1 infection in Rome, 1989–1994

The prevalence of HIV-1 among women of reproductive age is currently estimated at the time they give birth. We assessed HIV-1 prevalence at the end of pregnancy, whether they delivered or had an induced or spontaneous abortion. Women admitted at the end of pregnancy to hospitals in the Lazio Region, Italy, were tested for antibodies to HIV-1. Consent for testing was granted by 97.1% of 218,357 subjects; women who did not consent were tested anonymously. The prevalences of infection were 0.34% in 1989, 0.38% in 1990, 0.28% in 1991, 0.23% in 1992, 0.28% in 1993, and 0.24% in 1994. Significantly higher prevalences of infection were associated with induced abortion (0.49%) than with delivery (0.18%; OR: 2.72; 95% CI: 2.29–3.22) and among women who refused (0.85%) than among those who consented to testing (0.27%; OR: 3.14; 95% CI: 2.35–4.19). A significant temporal reduction in prevalence was observed only among women who delivered (0.15% in 1993 and 1994; 0.26% in 1989 and 1990). The prevalence of HIV-1 infection is thus higher among women undergoing induced abortions than among those who deliver and higher among women who refuse testing than among those who consent. Studies confined to neonatal testing or to voluntary testing of pregnant women would thus underestimate the prevalence of HIV-1 among women of reproductive age.     

Maternal mortality in Sirur

The research aim was 1) to determine the incidence of maternal mortality in a rural health center area in Sirur, Maharashtra state, India; 2) to determine the relative risk; and 3) to make suggestions about reducing maternal mortality. The data on deliveries was obtained between 1981 and 1984. Medical care at the Rural Training Center was supervised by the Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, the B.J. Medical College in Pune. Deliveries numbered 5994 singleton births over the four years; 5919 births were live births. 15 mothers died: 14 after delivery and 1 predelivery. The maternal mortality rate was 2.5/1000 live births. The maternal causes of death included 9 direct obstetric causes, 3 from postpartum hemorrhage of anemic women, and 3 from puerperal sepsis of anemic women with prolonged labor. 2 deaths were due to eclampsia, and 1 death was unexplained. There were 5 (33.3%) maternal deaths due to indirect causes (3 from hepatitis and 2 from thrombosis). One woman died of undetermined causes. Maternal jaundice during pregnancy was associated with the highest relative risk of maternal death: 106.4. Other relative risk factors were edema, anemia, and prolonged labor. Attributable risk was highest for anemia, followed by jaundice, edema, and maternal age of over 30 years. Maternal mortality at 30 years and older was 3.9/1000 live births. Teenage maternal mortality was 3.3/1000. Maternal mortality among women 20-29 years old was lowest at 2.1/1000. Maternal mortality for women with a parity of 5 or higher was 3.6/1000. Prima gravida women had a maternal mortality rate of 2.9/1000. Parities between 1 and 4 had a maternal mortality rate of 2.3/1000. The lowest maternal mortality was at parity of 3. Only 1 woman who died had received more than 3 prenatal visits. 11 out of 13 women medically examined prenatally were identified with the following risk factors: jaundice, edema, anemia, young or old maternal age, parity, or poor obstetric history. The local hospital death rate was 5.7/1000 and the district referral hospital death rate was 13.9/1000. The home delivery death rate was 1.2/1000. 5 (33.3%) who died had preterm deliveries. 5 infants died perinatally, 5 died neonatally, and 1 died postneonatally. Infant mortality was 6 times greater among mothers who died.