[Epidemiological difference could explain the higher infant mortality in Chile compared with Cuba]

Introduction: Cuba has the lowest infant mortality rate in Latin America, while Chile has an infant mortality rate above the average of Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.

Objective: To compare the epidemiology of infant mortality between Chile and Cuba in order to find characteristics that may explain the differences found.

Method: Comparative analysis between Chile and Cuba of infant mortality rate, causes of mortality, live birth weight, and maternal age, in 2015.

Results: Cuba had a lower infant, neonatal, early and late mortality than Chile, with no differences in post-neonatal mortality. Chile had a higher infant mortality due to, alterations of the nervous system, urinary system, chromosomal alterations, respiratory distress syndrome, and disorders related to the short duration of gestation. Chile had a higher frequency of mothers ≥ 35 years old and live births weighing <2,500 g. The possible effects of health inequities could not be analyzed due to lack of data.

Conclusions: It is possible to attribute the lower infant mortality rate in Cuba to: selective abortion due to congenital malformations and chromosomal anomalies, lower epidemiological risk of the Cuban pregnant population, and lower frequency of live births with low birth weight.