Pathological causes of sudden death in autopsied children with reference to peculiar findings: An Egyptian...

Area of Science:

• Forensic Pathology
• Pediatric Mortality
• Child Development

Background:

• Childhood spans up to 18 years, with distinct developmental stages.
• Unexpected natural deaths in children necessitate thorough investigation.
• The Egyptian Forensic Medicine Authority (EFMA) conducted a 5-year study on pediatric autopsies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the pathological causes of unexpected natural deaths in children.
• To identify the most common causes of death across different pediatric age groups.
• To highlight unusual pathologies identified during forensic autopsies.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 244 autopsied cases of children who died unexpectedly from natural causes.
• Conducted at the forensic pathology unit of the EFMA over a 5-year period.
• Diagnosis of pathological causes of death in 181 (74.2%) cases.

Main Results:

• Males constituted 60.8% of the deceased.
• Over half (51.4%) of deaths occurred within the first month of life.
• New diagnoses were established in 58% of cases during autopsy.
• Prematurity complications (35.9%) and infections (30.4%) were primary causes.
• Infections, particularly pneumonia (61.8%), were prevalent in infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
• Peculiar pathologies included cardiomyopathies, Waterhouse-Friderichsen syndrome, ruptured cerebral cavernous hemangioma, and cerebellar medulloblastoma.

Conclusions:

• Prematurity complications dominate perinatal and neonatal mortality.
• Infections are the leading cause of death in infancy, childhood, and adolescence.
• Autopsies play a crucial role in diagnosing the causes of unexpected pediatric deaths, including rare conditions.