Burden of Maternal and Neonatal Disorser in Nepal from 1990 to 2019; Analysis of Data from Global Burden of Disease Study: An Observational Study.

Introduction: Nepal continues to face significant challenges with high maternal and neonatal mortality. To improve health and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals of reducing maternal and newborn mortality by 2030, Nepal needs to focus on addressing high-burden maternal and neonatal disorders. The objective of the study was to examine the current burden of maternal and neonatal disorders in Nepal and to assess any changes over time.

Methods: We examined the annual Global Burden of Disease Study data on prevalence, deaths, Years Lived with Disability, and Disability-Adjusted Life Years for maternal and neonatal disorders in Nepal for the 1990-2019 period. Estimated annual percentage changes were also calculated to assess the trends of the age-standardised rates of these burden metrics.

Results: The analysis found that the prevalence of overall maternal disorder in Nepal decreased by 37% from 128,176 in 1990 to 80,724 in 2019 with Age-Standarised Ratio of 432.07 per 100,000 in 2019 and Estimated Annual Percentange Change of -4.34 (CI 95%: -4.49 to -4.18). Similarly, the overall prevalence of neonatal disorder increased by 57% from 303,146 in 1990 to 475,544 in 2019 with Age-Standarised Ratio of 1521.14 per 100,000 in 2019 and Estimated Annual Percentage Change of 0.98 (95% CI: 0.67-1.29).

Conclusions: Our findings emphasise the need to address maternal haemorrhage, indirect maternal deaths, maternal abortion and neonatal disorders in Nepal in future national health programs.