Pregnancy, Childbirth Top Reasons for Women's Hospitalizations

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Pregnancy and childbirth are the leading reasons why women are admitted to the hospital, says an analysis that found that women accounted for nearly 60 percent of the 39.4 million admissions to U.S. hospitals in 2007.

About five million of the 23.2 million hospital admissions for women in 2007 were related to delivery, said the federal Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Cardiovascular disease -- the leading killer of women in the United States -- accounted for nearly two million hospital admissions. Among the other leading reasons why women were hospitalized:

* Pneumonia -- 608,000 admissions.
* Osteoarthritis -- 498,000 admissions.
* Depression and bipolar disorder -- 442,000 admissions.
* Urinary tract infection -- 383,000 admissions.
* Blood infection (septicemia) -- 354,000 admissions.
* Skin infections -- 282,000 admissions.