Abstract Background Fatal injuries remain a major public health problem in Egypt, contributing significantly to premature mortality, long-term disability, and socioeconomic burdens. Although multiple studies have examined road traffic injuries, violence, poisoning, and other trauma mechanisms, previous studies have not comprehensively synthesized fatal injury patterns across all age groups at the national level. To map the existing evidence on fatal and severe injury patterns in Egypt, key mechanisms and high-risk populations should be identified, and research and surveillance gaps should be highlighted. A scoping review was conducted following the Arksey and O’Malley framework and PRISMA-ScR guidelines. PubMed, Embase, Semantic Scholar, and Google Scholar were searched for studies from January 2010 to November 2025 via predefined Boolean keyword combinations related to fatal injuries in Egypt. Only peer-reviewed English-language studies were included; gray literature was excluded. Screening and data charting were performed independently by two reviewers. A narrative synthesis was used to summarize findings across injury mechanisms. Main body A total of 1,000 records were identified; 29 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most were forensic autopsies (44.8%) or hospital-based trauma studies (34.5%). Road traffic injuries (RTIs) were the leading fatal mechanism, reported in 7 studies, predominantly affecting males aged 18–40 years. Falls from high heights are common among construction workers, adolescents, and elderly individuals. Burns—mainly flame burns with inhalation injury—have high fatality rates. Firearm injuries were largely homicidal, targeting young adult males. Poisoning, especially aluminum/zinc phosphide ingestion, is a major cause of youth suicide. Child abuse and neglect accounted for up to 70% of pediatric deaths reported in some studies, whereas femicide and domestic violence dominated female fatalities. Occupational injuries reflect poor safety enforcement, and suspected elderly deaths are associated with high homicide prevalence (30.9%). Conclusion Fatal injuries in Egypt arise from diverse mechanisms strongly influenced by demographic and social vulnerabilities. Persistent gaps in trauma surveillance systems, medicolegal coordination, and preventive strategies hinder accurate burden estimation. Strengthening trauma registries, injury surveillance, and multisectoral prevention strategies is crucial for reducing injury-related mortality.
Moawad et al. (Sat,) studied this question.