Some aspects of perinatal and maternal mortality in Albania.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of antenatal care, perinatal mortality, neonatal mortality, maternal mortality, number of births, the incidence of low birth weight infants in Albania. DESIGN OF THE STUDY: Retrospective study. SETTING: Queen Geraldine University Hospital of Tirana, Albania. METHODS: The population of this country is estimated to be approximately 3,2 million and comprises very young people. Twenty five percent of the population is under 15 years of age and 46% is under 25 years [2]. The fertility rate in 2009 was 1.6 children per woman of childbearing age. The urban population accounts for 45% and the rural population for the remaining 55% of the total population [2]. The health care system is spread across nearly the entire territory and is classified as primary (villages and small towns), secondary (several cities) and tertiary (in the capital, University Hospital). Primary health care is provided at 2327 health care units. The chief activity of the family doctors and general practitioners working in such units are focused on providing health care for mother and children. Ten percent of the annual births are delivered at the Maternity Hospital of Tirana (tertiary care) which has 300 beds and another 40 beds particularly for premature infants. More than 50% of the high risk pregnancies from other districts are referred to the Maternity Hospital of Tirana. RESULTS: The annual live births in Albania was in (2010) 33,856. The total perinatal mortality rate is 10,9 per 1000 live births. The total neonatal mortality rate in 2010 was 9.7 per 1000 live births. The early postnatal mortality rate was 6.1 per 1000 births. Number of maternal deaths for 100, 000 live births was 6.0 in 2010.

[Autoimmune ovarian failure in adolescent girls]. / Autoimunitní poskození ovarii u dospívajících dívek.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to map the incidence of antiovarian antibodies (AOA) in adolescent girls with ovarian cycle irregularities in comparison with girls with the regular cycle. The relation between the AOA positivity and structural changes in the bioptic samples of ovaria was examined. MATERIAL AND RESULTS: The studied cohort included 39 girls with primary amenorrhea (N = 18) and oligo/secondary amenorrhea (N = 21). All patients were tested for the presence of antiovarian antibodies (AOA) in the serum and levels of FSH and LH. The examination was done at the beginning of the study and after six months of therapy, in most of the cases by the hormone substitution treatment. In indicated cases the laparoscopic ovarian biopsy was done. A patients with serious failure of ovarian cycle the positivity of antibodies against various components of ovaria was found. Significantly higher levels of FSH was also found, LH levels were not higher. In our patients the depletion and alteration of the follicular apparatus in the cortex of ovaria belonged to the common findings. The control examination after the six month of hormonal substitution brought about lower levels of AOA, in some patients AOA fully disappeared. CONCLUSIONS: Incidence mapping of antiovarian antibodies in patients with ovarian cycle irregularities correlate with findings of elevated atresia. Ovarian cycle irregularities can later or earlier turn into the extinction of the follicular apparatus and fibrotization of the ovarian cortex.