Alcohol-Related Mortality Risk in Natural and Non-Natural Death Cases

• Published in: Journal of forensic sciences 2009-11, Vol.54 (6), p.1429-1432
• Main Authors: Törő, Klára, Dunay, György, Róna, Kálmán, Klausz, Gabriella, Fehér, Szilvia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: accident; Accidents, Traffic - mortality; Adult; Age Distribution; Aged; Alcohol Drinking - epidemiology; Alcohol use; Autopsies; blood alcohol; Central Nervous System Depressants - blood; Chromatography, Gas; Deaths; Ethanol - blood; Female; Forensic Medicine; forensic science; Forensic sciences; hierarchical log-linear models; homicide; Homicide - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Hungary - epidemiology; Legal medicine; Linear Models; Male; Middle Aged; Mortality; natural death; Sex Distribution; suicide; Suicide - statistics & numerical data
• ISSN: 0022-1198; 1556-4029
• DOI: 10.1111/j.1556-4029.2009.01162.x

:  Determination of the associations between alcohol influence and sudden natural death represents challenges for medicolegal investigations. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of alcohol influence in medicolegal autopsies. In our study of natural and non‐natural deaths cases (5496 total: 4045 males, 1451 females) were examined. Blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) were detected by headspace gas chromatographic method. We investigated the alcohol‐related mortality using hierarchical log‐linear statistical models. Severe BACs were detected among suicidal victims in the oldest age group (>65 years) (InF = 0.442) and among the homicide victims between the age of 40–65 years (InF = 0.234). Correlations we found between manner‐of‐death and sex suggested that the rate of males in accidents (lnF = 0.140) and the rate of females in homicides (lnF = 0.193) were higher. It was concluded that the accurate statistical mortality database may provide a huge support for the determination of alcohol effects on human health and mortality.