Pregnant women face high rate of serious injury

NEW YORK, Feb 27 (Reuters) Pregnant women suffer injuries requiring hospitalization more often than previously thought, a new nationwide study shows.

To decrease the number of these hospital admissions, injury prevention messages need to be stressed more during prenatal care visits, Dr. Cassie Kuo of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta and colleagues write in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

In their analysis of 2002 data on injury hospitalizations of pregnant women aged 15 to 44, the researchers found 4 such cases occurred for every 1,000 deliveries -- about twice as many as were found in a previous study using data from Washington State.

Among the 16,982 hospitalizations for injury included in the study, fractures, strains, sprains and dislocations were the most common injury type, followed by poisoning or bruises, crushing injuries and other superficial injuries. Motor vehicle accidents and falls were the most common cause of the injuries.

Many of the poisonings were self-inflicted. Given the high risk of depression among pregnant women, this points to a need for ''prenatal mental health screening in addition to postpartum mental health screening,'' the researchers note.

Information should also be provided on safe use of medications in pregnancy, to prevent accidental poisoning.

Delivery of the baby occurred in 37.7 percent of the cases.

Delivery was more than four times as likely to occur when the injury was related to some type of overexertion, the researchers found.

Overexertion, such as lifting heavy objects, is particularly risky late in pregnancy because pregnant women have looser joints, putting them in greater danger of injury, the researchers point out.

They say women should be encouraged to ''follow the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists' recommendations concerning exercise during pregnancy.,'' REUTERS BDP ND0852