A Retrospective Study of Autopsy Cases Carried out in Qena, Luxor and Aswan governorates, Upper Egypt during the Period of 2008 – 2011

Abstract

Background: Medico-legal autopsies are done on request by the police for investigating sudden, suspicious and unnatural deaths. It is done to establish a cause and manner of death. Manner of death could be classified according to the circumstances of death to; unnatural manners e.g. (homicidal, accidental, suicidal), naturally or unidentified.Objective: To identify the epidemiological profile and characteristics of death in medico-legal autopsies in Qena, Luxor and Aswan governorates. Methodology: A retrospective descriptive statistical analysis of the medico-legal autopsies conducted at Qena, Luxor and Aswan governorates, during the period from 2008 to 2011. Results: Total number of medico-legal autopsies performed during the study period was 511 cases. Homicidal cases were 57.34%, accidental cases were 16.83%, 12.72% were suicidal, 4.89% were natural deaths, and manner of death was not identified in 8.22% of autopsies. Most of the homicidal victims were males representing 79.9% of homicidal deaths, 73.3% of accidental deaths and 47.7% of suicidal deaths. Age groups of 21-30 year and 31- 40 years accounted for 26.62% and 21.72% of the deaths respectively. Firearm, blunt and stab injuries were the main recorded injuries representing 34.44%, 13.31%, and 12.72% respectively. The Chest was the target of firearm and stab wounds while the head was the target of blunt trauma. Asphyxial deaths represented 8.61 % of all deaths. drowning represented 34.1% of asphyxial deaths. Poisoning was the cause of death in 12.13% of autopsies and 80.65% of poisoning deaths were caused by hair dye. Conclusion: High incidence of homicidal firearm mortality in these districts. High incidence of homicidal death was recorded in males and it was mainly due to firearm, stab and blunt trauma while suicide showed a higher incidence in females ,especially using hair dyes. Males committed suicide by more violent methods; hanging, ligature strangulation and firearms.