- Toxaemia and dystoxia in pregnancy.

This is caused by the high incidence of toxaemia (eclampsia and pre-eclampsia).

The leading causes of maternal mortality included haemorrhage, abortion, toxaemia and obstructed labour.

According to the definitions established by the World Health Organization (WHO), the three main direct causes of maternal mortality in El Salvador were toxaemia, haemorrhaging and sepsis.

The recent economic crisis is also reported to contribute to serious nutritional disorders such as anaemia and toxaemia among poor pregnant women.

The Committee also expresses concern that the leading causes of mortality among women are cervical and breast cancer, and pregnancy-related problems, including post-partum haemorrhage and toxaemia.

The leading causes of maternal mortality remain haemorrhage during delivery (37.3 per cent), toxaemia (18.6 per cent), sepsis (16.3 per cent) and extragenital disorders (13.9 per cent).

The leading direct cause of maternal deaths is pregnancy toxaemia, which accounts for 38 per cent of deaths, followed by haemorrhage during pregnancy or childbirth (23 per cent), miscarriages (6 per cent) and puerperal complications (4.2 per cent).

The primary causes of death recorded are toxaemia (46 per cent), complications following abortion, which is illegal under any circumstances (19 per cent), haemorrhage (11 per cent) and cardiopathy.

Mortality due to toxaemia in pregnancy was reduced twice as much as the target set and no increase in the case detection rate of non-communicable diseases was apparent.