W.H.O has defined sudden unexpected death as the death that
occurs within 24 hours from the onset of the acute symptoms that preceded
death. The forensic pathologists define it as, any death which occurs
suddenly and unexpectedly, usually from nat
ural causes, in persons who
were apparently in good health and in circumstances that raise suspicion
and surprise. The performance of a complete autopsy in such deaths is
mandatory. The aim of autopsy is to deny any traumatic or poisonous
causes for death, and to find the direct pathological causes of the death. The
aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of this type of death in
Babel governorate, and to compare our results with those obtained by other
studies.
