Prévalence et caractéristiques des morts violentes autopsiées à l’EPH Laghouat 2015-2025

Abstract

Violent deaths represent a major public health indicator whose epidemiological analysis remains insufficient in Algeria. In the wilaya of Laghouat, the absence of structured data on this phenomenon motivated this work, whose central question is: what is the prevalence of violent deaths recorded at the forensic medicine department of the EPH of Laghouat between 2015 and 2025, and what are their epidemiological, medico-legal and circumstantial characteristics? This is a descriptive retrospective study covering 154 cases of violent deaths autopsied at the forensic medicine department of the EPH of Laghouat over a ten-year period (2015–2025). The main objective was to determine the prevalence of violent deaths in the wilaya. Secondary objectives aimed to describe their distribution by age, sex, marital status and type of death, to identify the most frequent mechanisms and injuries, and to study the spatio- temporal circumstances of occurrence. Results reveal a clear male predominance (79.9%, sex-ratio 3.96). The most affected age group is 15–30 years (40.9%, mean age 30.06 years), with male overrepresentation across all age groups. Accidental deaths predominate with 67.5% of cases, followed by suicides (22.1%) and homicides (10.4%). Carbon monoxide poisoning accounts for 27.7% of all deaths, representing a local epidemiological feature linked to the harsh climate of the wilaya. Hanging accounts for 82.4% of suicidal methods. Asphyxia syndrome is the leading direct cause of death (47.4%), and head-neck injuries represent the predominant injury site (36.4%). Two statistically significant associations were found: between marital status and type of death (p = 0.014) and between occupation and type of death (p = 0.017), confirming the role of psychosocial determinants in vulnerability to violent deaths. These results call for strengthened prevention programs targeting young single and inactive men, awareness campaigns on carbon monoxide poisoning risks in regions with harsh winters, and the establishment of a regional epidemiological surveillance system for longitudinal monitoring.