RESUMO
The Perinatal Mortality Rate (PNMR) is considered to be an indicator of perinatal health. To ascertain the validity of the perinatal mortality statistics in Curacao, medical records and death certificates were reviewed over a five year period. Using a birth weight of 1,000 gm as a cut-off point, 366 foetal and first-week deaths were recovered from the statutory death certificates. Using similar criteria, 19 perinatal deaths, identified in the medical records, were not registered as such on the death certificates (registration failure 4.9 percent). Hence, the revised annual PNMR ranged from 19.0 to 31.2 per 1,000 births during the period 1979-1983. Additionally, the contribution of low birth weight (LBW)(<2,500gm) to perinatal mortality was examined during 1984-1985. LBW was associated with 68.6 percent of all perinatal deaths using a birth weight of 500gm as truncation point. However, it is argued that the high proportion of LBW to perinatal mortality is not the result of an adverse birth weight distribution of the Curacao population (AU)