Health

CDC Report (2023): Infant Deaths Increased In 2022

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infant deaths

 

Is Infant Death Increasing Or Decreasing?

Data from the CDC (US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) shows that infant deaths* are increasing. The number increased from 5.40 deaths per 1,000 live births in the first quarter (Q1) of 2021 to 5.59 deaths per 1,000 live births at the end of the last quarter (Q4) of 2022. (1)

(source: cdc.gov) (1)

 

There’s also a slight increase in neonatal mortality** from 3.56 in 2021 Q1 to 3.58 in 2022 Q4.

Postneonatal mortality*** also increased from 1.85 in 2021 Q1 to 2.02 in 2022 Q4.

 

*Infants are defined in the report as babies under one year of age

**Neonates are defined in the report as newborns 0-27 days old

***Postneonates are defined in the report as babies from 28 days through 11 months

 

(source: cdc.gov) (1)

 

What’s The US Infant Death Rate By Year?

Based on provisional data from the CDC, the following are the infant mortality rates: (1)(2)

  • 2022: 5.60 infant deaths per 1,000 live births (3% higher than 2021)
  • 2021: 5.44 infant deaths per 1,000 live births

 

The neonatal mortality rate also increased by 3%: (1)(2)

  • 2022: 3.58 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births
  • 2021: 3.49 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births

 

The postneonatal mortality rate increased by 4%: (1)(2)

  • 2022: 2.02 postneonatal deaths per 1,000 live births
  • 2021: 1.95 postneonatal deaths per 1,000 live births

 

The CDC data reported above shows the relative mortality rates based on 1,000 live births. However, the actual numbers are high. (1)(2)

(source: cdc.gov) (2)

 

Based on CDC provisional data, there were 20,538 infant deaths out of 3,667,758 live births in the US in 2022. (2)

These 2022 numbers are higher by 3% than the 2021 data, reporting 19,928 infant deaths out of 3,664,292 live births. (2)

These stats are broken down into the following for 2022 (out of 3,667,758 live births): (2)

  • Neonatal deaths: 13,120 
  • Postneonatal deaths: 7,418 

 

These are the stats for 2021 (out of 3,664,292 live births): (2)

  • Neonatal deaths: 12,797
  • Postneonatal deaths: 7,131
(source: cdc.gov) (2)

 

What Are The Leading Causes Of Infant Deaths In The United States?

Still based on the CDC data, the following are the leading reasons for infant mortality in 2022: (2)

  • Congenital malformations: 4,000
  • Short gestation and low birthweight (without other classifications or causes): 2,876
  • Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS): 1,458
  • Accidents (unintentional injuries): 1,349
  • Maternal complications of pregnancy: 1,209
  • Bacterial sepsis of newborn: 637
  • Complications of placenta, cord, & membranes: 631
  • Respiratory distress of newborn: 458
  • Diseases of the circulatory system: 358
  • Neonatal hemorrhage: 336
(source: cdc.gov) (2)

 

It’s estimated that nursery products may be responsible for 160 children’s deaths annually, plus thousands of injuries, including those treated in the emergency room or required further treatment. (3)

You can also read our article on toy-related deaths or injuries because some infant fatalities were due to choking on small toys or suffocating on stuffed toys.

 

Why Did Infant Mortality Increase?

Among the 10 leading causes of death from 2021 to 2022, the following had the highest increase: (2)

  • Maternal complications (from 30.4 to 33.0 infant deaths per 100,000 live births)
  • Bacterial sepsis of newborns (from 15.3 to 17.4 infant deaths per 100,000 live births)

 

How Can You Reduce The Risks Of Infant Mortality?

Some ways to reduce infant mortality risks: (7)

 

 

References

(1) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/infant-mortality-dashboard.htm

(2) https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/vsrr/vsrr033.pdf

(3) https://www.cpsc.gov/s3fs-public/Nursery-Products-Annual-Report-2023.pdf?VersionId=1hFBN.iciNSIXQ4BOcnpk7NtWoFWgJ8g

(4) https://www.fda.gov/media/172606/download

(5) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16216900/

(6) https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21505778/

(7) https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/infant-mortality/topicinfo/reduce-risk

(8) https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/newborn/conditioninfo/disorders

 

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