[Dynamics of perinatal and neonatal mortality rate in the period 1990-2005 in Bulgaria].
OBJECTIVE
To analyze the changes in the birth rate and the infant mortality rate in the perinatal and the neonatal period during the last 15 years in Bulgaria.


METHODS
It is a retrospective study performed on the annual data of the National institute of health statistics during the period from 1990 to 2005 year. The results are analyzed by a descriptive and a comparative method.


RESULTS
In the recent 15 years the birth rate in Bulgaria has decreased from 12.1 per thousand to 9.2 per thousand with nadir of 7.9 per thousand in 1997. On the other hand the percentage of prematurity has increased from 6.6% to 9% reaching its highest level--9.5% in 1997. The perinatal infant mortality rate raised from 11.1 per thousand to 13.3 per thousand in 1997, after that decreased to 12.2 per thousand in 2005. The rise of the latter is due to the increase of the stillbirth, which from 6 per thousand in 1990 reached to 7.73 per thousand in 2005. The level of the neonatal mortality rate has decreased from 7.7 per thousand to 6.6 per thousand in 2005, although it has increased to 8.9 per thousand in the first seven years. The initial increase of the latter is due to the early neonatal mortality rate which raised up to 4.47 per thousand in 1997.


CONCLUSIONS
On the background of a decreasing birth rate there is an auspicious tendency to reduction of the perinatal infant mortality rate in the recent seven years, which is due to the decrease of the early neonatal mortality, while the stillbirth rate remains high. The neonatal and the postneonatal mortality rates have also trends to a permanent decrease. At the same time, however, the percentage of the premature newborns increases and they have the largest part of the infant mortality.
Zhekova
N
N
Cholakova
T
T
Griva
A
A
Khristova
E
E
D001723:Birth Rate / Q000639:trends; D002031:Bulgaria / Q000453:epidemiology; D002423:Cause of Death / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007226:Infant Mortality / Q000639:trends*; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology*