Abstract:

The Hajj is a pilgrimage conducted yearly in Mecca, a city located in the western province of Saudi Arabia where over 2.5 million Muslims gather from over 160 countries at the same place and time. This mass gathering is considered one of the largest mass gatherings worldwide. Performance of the Hajj is physically and emotionally demanding, therefore pilgrims could undergo great physical and emotional strain. As a consequence, morbidity and mortality rates rise as the demands arise. It is important to identify the common causes of death and injury to help prevent them and reduce their incidence. This study aims to identify the most common causes of mortality during Hajj. This is a review article that has been conducted by reviewing articles discussing the causes of death in Hajj. We found that the majority of the studies concludedthat cardiovascular diseases were the most common causes of death followed by respiratory, specifically pneumonia, which is most commonly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Also, cerebrovascular accidentswere reported in some studies to be the 3rd most common cause of death. Furthermore, old age was identified to be the most significant risk factor for dying in hajj. 

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