Did January 25th Egyptian Revolution Change the Medico-Legal Pattern and the Trend of Hospitalized Injuries in Upper Egypt? A retrospective study

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Forensic Medicine and Clinical Toxicology Department, Faculty of medicine, Assiut University, Egypt

2 public health and community medicine, faculty of medicine

3 General Surgery, Maxillo-facial Surgery unit, Assiut University Hospitals, Assiut faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut Egypt

4 General Surgery department , Assiut University Hospitals, Assiut faculty of Medicine, Assiut University, Assiut Egypt

Abstract

Background and Rationale: Trauma is a wound or injury caused by mechanical or physical factors. Trauma is a medical case with legal implications. Revolution of Egypt in the 25th of January 2011 was accompanied by dramatic changes in the Egyptian community attitudes that certainly had legal implications.
Aim of the study: was to assess the changes in the medico-legal pattern of hospitalized trauma cases with evaluation of the homicidal cases concerning the cause and the final outcome especially in the post-revolution period.
Participants and Methods: This study was a retrospective one that included 1527 hospitalized trauma cases who were collected from Trauma Unit of Assiut University Hospital in the period between January 2010 and December 2016. All the needed data was collected from health information system database of the Trauma Unit after taking the official consent from the unit director. The collected data included basic demographic data, cause of injury, mechanisms, mode and outcomes of trauma in all hospitalized cases.
Results: 1527 hospitalized trauma cases were collected; mean age was 25.39 ± 15.4 years, male: female ratio was (6.6:1). The annual number of trauma cases was almost equal in the first 5 years then decreased gradually after that. Homicidal mode (assault from others) was approximately doubled from 22.6% in 2010 (before revolution) to 40.5% in 2011 and 38.0% in 2012 (after revolution), then decreased gradually in 2014 till 2016, also firearm injuries increased from 9.6% before revolution (2010) to 14.3% in 2011 and jumped to 31.0% in 2012 and 37.3% in 2013 then, decreased gradually after that. The accidental mode road traffic accident decreased from 40% before revolution to 26% and 20% in 2011 and 2012 respectively (after revolution).
Conclusions: January 25th Egyptian revolution clearly changed the medico-legal pattern of trauma; from accidental pattern (road traffic accidents & falls) before revolution to homicidal pattern (assault from others & firearm injuries) in the post revolution period.

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The Egyptian Journal of Forensic Sciences and Applied Toxicology
Volume 18, Issue 4 - Serial Number 4
Forensic Topics
December 2018
Pages 15-27

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