Objectives: Preterm labor and delivery are associated with various short- and long-term complications in neonates and infants. This research aimed to look at the trends in preterm labor and birth-related hospitalizations in England.
Material and methods: The Hospital Episode Statistics database was used to extract hospital admission data for the ecological study of preterm labor and delivery between April 2012 and April 2020 in England.
Results: The overall admission rates decreased by 26.2%, from 14,210 in 2012 (CI: 99.18-102.49) to 10,490 in 2020 (CI: 73.02-75.87) per 100,000 individuals. Hospitalizations were frequently caused by spontaneous labor with preterm delivery, spontaneous labor without delivery, and preterm delivery without spontaneous labor (68.9%, 20.6%, and 9.6%, respectively). The rate of hospital admission due to preterm delivery without spontaneous labor, preterm labor without delivery, preterm spontaneous labor with preterm delivery, and preterm spontaneous labor with term delivery decreased by 32.0%, 26.9%, 24.4%, and 14.7%, respectively. Women aged 25-29 years accounted for most hospital admissions.
Conclusion: Preterm labor and delivery-related hospital admissions rates have significantly decreased over the past decade. Women in the reproductive age range of 25-34 years were more prone to hospital admission followed by preterm labor due to various reasons.
Keywords: England; admissions; delivery; hospital; labor; preterm.