Pattern of Morbidity and Mortality amongst Iraqi Hajj pilgrims: experience of Iraqi Hajj medical mission 2023

Introduction Hajj is one of the largest global religious mass gatherings that takes place in Saudi Arabia and involves around three million Muslims from all over the world. It carries potential health risks both for Saudi Arabia and pilgrims’ home countries. Like all countries, the Iraq Ministry of Health is part of the Hajj coordinating committee and has developed a plan to prepare and respond to Iraqi pilgrims’ health needs during the Hajj season. This study aimed to demonstrate Iraqi pilgrims' leading health complaints before, during, and after the Hajj time in 2023. Method We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional study analyzing the data from electronic records of the main clinical presentations from the 38 clinics established in Al-Madeena Almunawara, Makka, Mina, Arafat, and Muzdalifah, KSA, during the three phases: the pre-Hajj (6th-26th June), the Hajj (27th-30 June), and the post-Hajj (1st-9th July). Result 89,973 patients attended the clinics; 46,457 (51.6%) were females. The highest daily attendance was 3,429 during the pre-Hajj phase. The most frequent cause of attendance was rheumatologic/orthopedic diseases (18.8%), HT (18%), DM (11.4%), influenza (9.7%), other respiratory infections (8.3%), ENT conditions (6.3%); with similar distributions between the pre-Hajj, the Hajj, and the Post-Hajj phases, except for rheumatologic/orthopedic diseases, which contributed the highest during the Hajj phase (25.4%), and influenza, which accounted for 21.1% in the post-Hajj phase. Eight hundred-eleven referrals to secondary and tertiary care were reported, and 29 deaths were recorded among the pilgrims. Conclusion Non-communicable conditions exerted the highest burden on health services, as many pilgrims are elderly with preexisting chronic medical conditions. Respiratory infections were common, considering the overcrowding during Hajj. Raising pilgrims’ knowledge of potential health risks encountered during Hajj and following the preventive measures can help mitigate pilgrims’ health risks during the Hajj. Data availability statement Data used for this study will be available upon request