A Study of Elderly Unnatural Deaths In Medicolegal Autopsies at Dakahlia Locality

Abstract

The main aim of this study was to determine the causes and epidemiological aspects of unnatural deaths in elderly. Data were collected on 681 males and female victims of unnatural deaths aged 50 years or more from the total number of 2967 autopsies performed in Mansoura Medicolegal Centre (Ministry of Justice) over a ten-year period, from year 1996 to 2005. There were 516 male victims and 165 female victims. Unnatural deaths were higher in rural (83.55%) than in urban (16.45%) areas. Homicidal deaths were the most common manner of unnatural deaths (83.85%), followed by accidental deaths (14.98%) then suicidal deaths (1.17%). Traumas were the most common cause of unnatural death (78.71%), followed by undetermined causes (13.36%) and toxicological causes (7.93%). The most common causes of traumatic deaths were blunt head injuries (35.83%) followed by stab in the chest (16.04%), burn (12.31%), blunt injuries in abdomen and chest (10.07%), firearm injuries in the head and trunk (8.02%), strangulation (7.28%), stab in the abdomen (3.36%), smothering (3.17%), cut throat (1.68%), throttling (1.49%) then hanging (0.75%). Carbamate poisoning was the most common cause of toxicological deaths (48.15%) followed by organophosphorus poisoning (27.77%), ethyl alcohol poisoning (11.11%) , barbiturate poisoning (7.41%) then zinc phosphide poisoning (5.56%) .