Maternal mortality in the US more than doubled between 1999 and 2019

A new study by investigators from the UW Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) and Mass General Brigham found that maternal mortality rates have worsened from 1999 to 2019, hitting some racial and ethnic groups and states harder than others. The results were published this week in JAMA.

“These disparities in maternal mortality are just the tip of the iceberg and tell us a lot about the health risks facing people in the states where these deaths are most likely to occur, " said senior author Dr. Gregory Roth, associate professor (Cardiology) and Director of the Program in Cardiovascular Health Metrics at IHME.

“In the U.S., maternal deaths are often caused by vascular diseases like severe high blood pressure or blood clots. So maternal deaths share many of the same drivers as heart attacks, strokes, and heart failure. Our state-by-state research emphasizes where we need to focus our prevention efforts and which groups are suffering the most.”