[Neonatal mortality in residents of an urban locality in the southern region of Brazil].

Neonatal mortality rates in Maringá, Paraná State, Brazil, in 1990 are characterized in terms of several variables. Information concerning these events was provided by death certificates, hospital archives, home interviews, health center files and necropsy records. Neonatal mortality rates were 19.4 per 1,000 live births. Most of the deaths occurred: the first week of life (92.0%); newborns with less than 37 weeks of gestation (79.8%); low birth weight infants (74.1%); male newborns (56.3%); and cesarean section births (54.2%). The underlying causes of death were codified in accordance with the "International Diseases Classification"-9th revision. Perinatal Causes together with Congenital Anomalies accounted for 94.0% of these deaths in addition also to being responsible for 83.2% of neonatal deaths; prematurity was considered the main cause, accounting for 15.8% of deaths while being the most frequent cause associated with newborn deaths (59.0%).