Definition of Terms
Rates
Age-adjusted mortality rates - Because mortality from most causes of death occurs predominately among the elderly, a population group with a larger proportion of older persons would have a higher mortality rate. The "age-adjustment" removes the effect of the age differences among subpopulations by placing them all in a population with a standard age distribution. All age-adjusted mortality rates used in this report were computed by the direct method, that is by applying the age-specific death rates to the standard population distributed by age. The total U.S. population as enumerated in 1940 was selected as the standard.
Infant mortality rate - Number of infant (< 1 year old) deaths per 1,000 live births.
Postneonatal mortality rate - Number of postneonatal (at least 28 days of age)deaths per 1,000 live births.
Terms Related to Reproductive Health
Birth or Live Birth - The complete expulsion or extraction from its mother of a product of human conception, irrespective of the duration of pregnancy which, after such expulsion or extraction, breaths or shows any other evidence of life such as beating of the heart, pulsation of the umbilical cord, or definite movement of voluntary muscles, whether or not the umbilical cord has been cut or the placenta is attached.
Birth weight - The weight of a neonate determined immediately after delivery or as soon thereafter as possible..
Gestational age - The number of completed weeks that have elapsed between then first day of the last menstrual period and the date of delivery, irrespective of whether the gestation results in a live birth or a fetal death.
Infant death - Any death at any time from birth up to, but not including, the first year of age(364 days, 23 hours, 59 minutes from the moment of birth).
Low-birthweight - Prior to 1990: any neonate whose weight at birth is 2,500 grams or less. Beginning in 1990: any neonate weighing less than 2,500 grams at birth (less than 5 pounds 8 ounces).
Postneonatal death - Any death of a liveborn infant at least 28 days of age but under one year of age.
Terms Related to Mortality
Age-specific mortality - Number of deaths in a specific age group during a calendar year.
Cause of death - For the purpose of national mortality statistics, every death is attributed to one underlying condition, based on information reported on the death certificate and utilizing the international rules for selecting the underlying cause of death from the reported conditions.
Cause-specific mortality - Number of deaths from a specified cause duirng a calendar year.
Classification of cause of death - The cause of death used in this report is the underlying cause classified according to the International Classification of Diseases, Injuries and Causes of Death. Listed below are categories and International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for selected causes of mortality discussed in this report.
n 001-139: Infectious and parasitic diseases;
n 042-044: HIV infection;
n 140-208: Malignant neoplasms (cancers);
n 250: Diabetes mellitus;
n 291, 303, 571.0-571.3: Alcoholism;
n 390-398, 402, 404-429: Diseases of the heart
n 430-438: Cerebrovascular disease (stroke)
n 440: Atherosclerosis
n 441-448: Other diseases of the arteries
n 480-487: Pneumonia and influenza
n490-496: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
n 740-759: Congenital anomalies (birth defects)
n 760-779: Certain conditions originating in the peri-natal period
n 765: Disorders relating to short gestation and unspecified low birthweight (LBW/prematurity in Table 3.20)
n 780-799: Symptoms and ill-defined conditions
n798.0: Sudden infant death syndrome
n 800-949: Unintentional injuries
n810-824: Motor vehicle-related injuries
n830, 832, 910: Drowning
n 950-959: Suicide
n 960-978: Homicide and legal intervention
Medical Terms Used on the Birth Certificate
Medical risk factors for this pregnancy
Anemia - Hemoglobin level of less than 10.0 g/dLduring pregnancy, or a hematocrit of less than 30 percent during pregnancy.
Cardiac disease - Disease of the heart.
Acute or chronic lung disease - Disease of the lungs during pregnancy.
Diabetes - Metabolic disorder characterized by excessive discharge of urine and persistent thirst; includes juvenile onset, adult onset, and gestational diabetes during pregnancy.
Genital herpes - Infection of the skin of the genital area by herpes simplex virus.
Hydramnios/Oligohydramnio s - Any noticeable excess (hydramnios) or lack (oligohydramnios)of amniotic fluid.
Hemoglobinopathy - A blood disorder caused by alteration in the genetically determined molecular structure of hemoglobin (for example, sickle cell anemia).
Hypertension, chronic - Blood pressure persistently greater than 140/90, diagnosed prior to onset of pregnancy or before the 20th week of gestation.
Hypertension, pregnancy-associated - An increase in blood pressure of at least 30 mm hg systolic or 15 mm hg diastolic on two measurements taken 6 hours apart after the 20th week of gestation.
Eclampsia - The occurrence of convulsions and/or coma unrelated to other cerebral conditions in women with signs and symptoms of preeclampsia.
Incompetent cervix - Characterized by painless dilation of the cervix in the second trimester or early in the third trimester of pregnancy, with premature expulsion of membranes though cervix and ballooning of the membranes into vagina, followed by rupture of the membrane and subsequent expulsion of the fetus.
Previous infant 4,000+ grams - The birthweight of a previous live-born child was over 4,000 grams (8lbs.14oz.).
Previous preterm or small-for-gestational-age-i nfant - Previous birth of an infant prior to term (before 37 completed weeks of gestation) or of an infant weighing less than the 10th percentile for gestational age using a standard weight for age chart.
Renal disease - Kidney disease.
Rh Sensitization - The process or state of becoming sensitized to the Rh factor as when an Rh-negative woman is pregnant with an Rh-positive fetus.
Uterine bleeding - Any clinically significant bleeding during the pregnancy taking into consideration the stage of pregnancy; any second or third trimester bleeding or third trimester bleeding of the uterus prior to the onset of labor.
Obstetric procedures
Amniocentesis - Surgical transabdominal perforation of the uterus to obtain amniotic fluid to be used in the detection of genetic disorders, fetal abnormalities, and fetal lung maturity.
Electronic fetal monitoring - Monitoring with external devices applied to maternal abdomen or with internal devices with an electrode attached to the fetal scalp and a catheter through the cervix into uterus, to detect and record fetal heart tones and uterine contractions.
Induction of labor - The initiation of uterine contractions before the spontaneous onset of labor by medical and/or surgical means for the purpose of delivery.
Stimulation of labor - Augmentation of previously established labor by use of oxytocin.
Tocolysis - Use of medications to inhibit preterm uterine contactions to extend the length of pregnancy and therefore, avoid a preterm birth.
Ultrasound - Visualization of the fetus and the placenta by means of sound wave.
Complications of labor and/or delivery
Febrile - A fever greater than 100 degrees F. or 38 C. occurring during labor and/or delivery.
Meconium, moderate/heavy - Meconium consists of undigested debris from swallowed amniotic fluid, various products of secretion and shedding by the gastrointestinal tract, moderate to heavy amounts of meconium in the amniotic fluid noted during labor and /or delivery.
Premature rupture of membranes (more than 12 hours) - Rupture of membranes at any time during pregnancy and more than 12 hours before the onset of labor.
Abruptio placenta - Premature separation of normally implanted placenta from the uterus.
Placenta previa - Implantation of the placenta over or near the internal opening of the cervix.
Other excessive bleeding - The loss of significant amount of blood from conditions other than abruptio placenta or placenta previa.
Seizures during labor - Maternal seizures occurring during labor from any cause.
Precipitous labor (less than 3 hours) - Extremely rapid labor and delivery lasting less than 3 hours.
Prolonged labor (more than 20 hours) - Abnormally slow progress of labor lasting more than 20 hours.
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