Preterm birth in Latvia: Two-decade national trends, structure, and risk factors.

ABSTRACT:

Introduction

Latvia, alongside other Baltic and Nordic countries, exhibits some of the world's lowest preterm birth (PTB) rates. We sought to identify the factors sustaining this stability and to examine how PTB structure, trends, and risk factors have evolved in Latvia over time, amid the nation's significant socioeconomic transformation in recent decades.

Material and methods

This retrospective study analyzed all term and PTBs in Latvia from 2000 to 2023, using data from the Disease Prevention and Control Centre's Health Statistics database. We evaluated records at 5-year intervals, assessing temporal trends in PTB and term birth outcomes, including neonatal and perinatal mortality, labor onset (spontaneous or indicated), and prematurity subgroups, alongside known PTB risk

SUBMITTER: Andzane D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12451207 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature