The commonest cause of maternal morbidity in India is?

RRB Staff Nurse Delhi-2015

Obstetrics & Gynaecology

Easy

Appeared in: RRB Staff Nurse Delhi-2015

Explanation

The question asks for the most common cause of maternal morbidity, which refers to illness or a diseased state, not death.
Anaemia is the most widespread health condition among pregnant women in India, with some estimates suggesting it affects about half of all expectant mothers.
This extremely high prevalence makes anaemia, by definition, the most common cause of maternal morbidity.
While other conditions cause more deaths, none are as widespread as anaemia in the pregnant population.

Option B: Haemorrhage is the leading cause of maternal mortality (death) in India, accounting for about 38% of deaths. However, it is an acute, severe event and is not as widespread in prevalence (morbidity) as chronic anaemia.
Option C: Complications from unsafe abortions are a significant contributor to both maternal morbidity and mortality. However, the overall incidence is not as high as the prevalence of anaemia across the entire population of pregnant women.
Option D: Sepsis (puerperal sepsis) is a severe infection and a major cause of maternal death (around 11%). Like haemorrhage, it is an acute and life-threatening condition but does not have the high background prevalence that anaemia does.

Visual 1: Bar Chart - A chart comparing the leading causes of maternal morbidity vs. maternal mortality in India. The morbidity side would show Anaemia as the largest bar, while the mortality side would show Haemorrhage as the largest bar.
Visual 2: Infographic - An infographic defining maternal morbidity and mortality with key statistics for India, visually separating the concepts and their primary causes.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Differentiating between the leading causes of maternal morbidity and maternal mortality in India as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
This distinction is critical for public health planning and clinical practice. Antenatal care in India places a strong emphasis on preventing and treating anaemia through routine screening and iron-folic acid supplementation.
A nurse's role includes educating pregnant women about nutrition, ensuring compliance with iron supplements, and identifying signs of severe anaemia that require medical intervention.
Understanding that anaemia is the biggest morbidity burden reinforces the importance of these preventive public health measures in reducing overall complications during pregnancy.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: "commonest cause," "maternal morbidity," and "India."
The most critical step is to differentiate between "morbidity" (illness/prevalence of a condition) and "mortality" (death). This is a common point of confusion tested in exams.
Recall or deduce the health conditions most prevalent among pregnant women in India. Think about chronic, widespread conditions versus acute, severe events.
Evaluate the options: Haemorrhage, sepsis, and abortion are known major causes of death. Anaemia is a very common, widespread condition.
Conclude that because of its extremely high prevalence, anaemia is the leading cause of morbidity, even if other conditions are more likely to be fatal.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Differentiating between the leading causes of maternal morbidity and maternal mortality in India.
Stem keywords: commonest cause, maternal morbidity, India
Lead-in keywords: commonest

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