Medico-legal child deaths in Istanbul: data from the Morgue Department.

Background: Before determining health policies, finding solutions to problems and taking precautions, one should define the problems and their regional and national dimensions. Data about causes of death vary from country to country and, therefore, it is clear that precautions should be based on regional data and needs, which will be more effective.

Method: The authors reviewed deaths among children aged 1 month to 18 years, whose autopsies were performed in the Morgue Department, State Institute of Forensic Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey, between 2000 and 2002.