Abstract
Introduction: Desert death is defined as any death that occurs in the desert and could be attributed to a list of causes including environmental, animal related, undetermined, and other causes. Death in the desert seems to be obscure and little discussed in the field of forensic medicine, despite its importance, and there is only limited literature available on this broad topic. This narrative review aims to identify the most common causes of desert death and its medicolegal implications. Desert death causes: Environmental causes of death could be a result of temperature and lightening-related causes. Moreover, a variety of animals found in deserts are considered to be threatening and fatal, in addition to other and undetermined causes. Medicolegal implications of desert death: Likely to arise from the difficulties faced in finding the cause of death are the identification of the victim and the postmortem injuries that occur. Conclusion: Desert death is a broad topic with great medicolegal significance. More information and case reports need to be added in the literature. Guidelines for people about the danger of going to deserts in specific weather conditions should be implemented. Safety regulations must be taken into account at all times.
Highlights
Deserts and drylands are often referred to as terra nullius, barren spaces, and wastelands
Numerous studies have indicated the effect of climate change on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, but they were confined to specific regions, illustrating the fact that more research is required in this field, especially areas with a harsh desert climate [5,6]
This review included reviews that are related to desert deaths conducted worldwide and studies that were aiming to validate that cause of death was solely related to deserts and the environmental changes
Summary
Deserts and drylands are often referred to as terra nullius, barren spaces, and wastelands. Numerous studies have indicated the effect of climate change on cardiovascular and respiratory mortality, but they were confined to specific regions, illustrating the fact that more research is required in this field, especially areas with a harsh desert climate [5,6]. Public Health 2021, 18, 11272 problem [8] Concerning immigration, as it is a major reason of finding people in deserts, there have been reports on the estimation of migrant deaths through the past years in the southwest United States-Mexico border [9]. The number of deaths has increased regularly reaching 75 in 2001 in the Southwest United States border sectors [10]. In Africa, over 1790 deaths of migrants who moved from Sub-Saharan Africa to North Africa from 1996 and 2013 have been reported [9]
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