Medico-Legal Aspects of Permanent Infirmities as a Sequel of Different Types of Injuries (A Retrospective Study in Assiut Governorate, Egypt)

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

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

2 Assiut Forensic Department of Ministry of Justice, Assiut, Egypt.

Abstract

Objective: To describe the percentage of permanent infirmities, the size of the problem in Assiut governorate during 2007 and 2008.   Methods: A retrospective study of all cases of injuries lead to permanent infirmity from 1 January 2007 to 31 December 2008 through manual review of all files of Assiut Medico-legal department of Ministry of Justice. Results: The total cases of injuries with permanent infirmity were 144(7.28%). The highest percent was in age group >21-30 (43.75%) followed by age group >31-40 years (25.69%). Male cases represented (92.36%) while females represented (7.64%). Educated victims represented (37.5%) where illiterate victims represented (62.5%).The highest percent of victims were farmers (68.75%). Most of victims were from rural areas (93.05%). Blunt instruments were responsible for (59.72%) followed by sharp instruments (21.53%) and firearms (18.75%). Extremities, represented (38.19%) of cases, of which (15.28%) due to nerve injuries while (22.91%) were due to bone injuries.  Head were the second site (32.64%), followed by eye (10.42%), abdomen (8.33%) ear (5.55%) and nose (4.86%). The cause of injury was due to criminal assault (81.94%), accidental (18.06%), while there were no suicidal cases that ended in permanent infirmities.

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