The Coroner's System and Under-Reporting of Suicide

This study investigates the under-reporting of suicide with particular reference to differences between sex and age groups and the various modes of suicide. The study was performed retrospectively using the files of H M Coroner for South Yorkshire (West) over the years 1985 to 1991. There were 536 deaths judged on the balance of probability to be suicidal in nature. Only 60 per cent of these deaths received a suicide verdict and would therefore register in official suicide statistics. A significantly smaller proportion of females (51.7 per cent) received a suicide verdict than males (64.5 per cent). Of the young females (<45) 61.7 per cent were given a suicide verdict compared to 46.6 per cent of older females (45+). These differences are explained by different preferences for mode of suicide, in particular for poisoning using solids or liquids. Only 40 per cent of cases within this category received a suicide verdict. Drowning showed an even smaller percentage (24 per cent). Self-immolation (42 per cent) and jumping from a height (51 per cent) were also under-represented. Of these, self-poisoning, drowning and jumping from a height were relatively popular among females. In contrast, common causes of death favoured predominantly by males — hanging and carbon monoxide poisoning — received a high percentage of suicide verdicts (81 per cent and 90 per cent). Thus official suicide statistics produce a distorted view of the suicide population with relative underreporting of females, particularly older females, and marked under-reporting of some causes of death, notably poisoning using solids or liquids, drowning, self-immolation and jumping from a height.

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Carbon monoxide poisoning: an unusual cause of dizziness

The Journal of Laryngology & Otology ◽

10.1017/s0022215110000800 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 124 (10) ◽

pp. 1103-1105 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

R Lakhani ◽

N Bleach

Keyword(s):

Carbon Monoxide ◽

Case Report ◽

Unusual Case ◽

Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo ◽

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ◽

Hot Water ◽

Positional Vertigo ◽

Common Causes ◽

Specific Symptoms ◽

Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo

AbstractObjective:We report an unusual case of dizziness caused by carbon monoxide poisoning.Case report:A 55-year-old man was referred to an ENT surgeon with dizziness. The patient described vague, non-specific symptoms not consistent with a diagnosis of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, labyrinthitis or Ménière's disease. It emerged later that the patient had been suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning from a leaky gas hot water boiler in his house. After having the boiler fixed, the patient's symptoms completely resolved.Conclusion:When the more common causes of dizziness cannot be found, less common but important differential diagnoses, such as carbon monoxide poisoning, should be considered.

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Acute carbon monoxide poisoning with low saturation of carboxyhaemoglobin: a forensic retrospective study in Shanghai, China

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-021-97436-8 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Zheng Liu ◽

Hang Meng ◽

Juntian Huang ◽

Pascal Kwangwari ◽

Kaijun Ma ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Carbon Monoxide ◽

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ◽

Age Groups ◽

Co Poisoning ◽

Gas Leakage ◽

Outdoor Spaces ◽

Group 3 ◽

Group 2 ◽

In Fire ◽

Group 1

AbstractCarbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is a common cause of death, leading to morbidity and mortality worldwide. Features of the CO poisoning with low carboxyhemoglobin (COHb) levels remain to be characterized. This study collected a total of 307 CO poisoning cases from Shanghai Public Security Bureau, an official organization that handles the most complicated and life-threatening cases across Shanghai municipality in China, and regrouped these cases into three categories: group 1, 10% < COHb% < 30% (n = 58); group 2, 30% ≤ COHb% < 50% (n = 79); group 3, COHb% ≥ 50% (n = 170). Epidemiological, demographic, and forensic aspects of the CO poisoning cases, particularly those with low COHb levels, were analyzed. Our results showed that group 2 and 3 were mostly observed in younger victims (≤ 30 years), while group 1 equally distributed to all age groups (p = 0.03). All the CO poisoning from group 2 and 3 occurred in enclosed spaces, whereas cases from group 1 died additionally in outdoor spaces (p = 0.01). 81.03% of group 1 cases died in fire circumstances, while only 45.57% from group 2 and 30.59% from group 3 were fire-related (p = 0.00). Accordingly, group 1 was mostly related with fire burns, while group 2 or 3 were largely associated with gas leakage (p = 0.00). A combination with alcohol, but not other psychotropic drugs, associated with significant higher levels of blood COHb% in fire-unrelated (p = 0.021) but not fire-related cases (p = 0.23). Five extremely low COHb% (< 30%)-related poisoning deaths were negative of any cardiopulmonary pathology and psychoactive substances. In conclusion, CO poisoning with low COHb% significantly associates with fire circumstances and outdoor spaces and has no age preference. Further diagnostic markers mandates to be identified in order to avoid disputes in cases of extremely low COHb%-related poisoning.

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Cardiogenic Shock Related to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

Case Reports in Acute Medicine ◽

10.1159/000514303 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 32-35

Author(s):

Frédéric Bussienne ◽

Marco Betello

Keyword(s):

Carbon Monoxide ◽

Cardiogenic Shock ◽

Blood Level ◽

Cardiac Dysfunction ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ◽

Co Poisoning

Carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning is one of the leading causes of death by poisoning in occidental countries. We report the presentation and management of a patient who developed a severe cardiac dysfunction, leading to profound cardiogenic shock after CO poisoning despite an initial low CO blood level.

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FORENSIC MEDICAL CRITERIA OF DIFFERENTIAL DIAGNOSIS OF ALCOHOL AND CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING BY USING AZIMUTHAL-INVARIANT POLARIZATION MUELLER-MATRIX MICROSCOPY

Proceedings of CBU in Medicine and Pharmacy ◽

10.12955/pmp.v2.168 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 ◽

pp. 33-40

Author(s):

Olexandr Harazdiuk ◽

Ihor Ivaskevich ◽

Oleh Vanchuliak ◽

Yuliia Sarkisova

Keyword(s):

Carbon Monoxide ◽

Differential Diagnosis ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

Human Body ◽

Carbon Monoxide Poisoning ◽

Biological Tissues ◽

Mueller Matrix ◽

Histological Sections ◽

Common Causes ◽

Characteristic Features

Introduction: Fatal intoxications with alcohol and carbon monoxide are the most common causes of poisoning that occur in forensic medical practice. Therefore, the differential diagnosis of these intoxications is extremely important. To solve this problem, we propose the use of the method of azimuthal-invariant polarization Mueller-matrix microscopy of histological sections of biological tissues (BT). Objectives: The purpose of the study was to establish statistically significant criteria for differentiation of the cause of death in case of alcohol poisoning (AP) and carbon monoxide poisoning (CMP) by using azimuthal-invariant polarization Mueller-matrix microscopy of polycrystalline fractions of histological sections of organs and blood films of the human body. Results: A number of characteristic features have been identified that have not been previously described and allow to objectively differentiate the cause of death in the case of AP and CMP, namely Ek – 0.95±0.045 and 1.81±0.092 in the study of histological sections of the myocardium; Ek – 0,19±0,011 and 1,11±0,094 – polycrystalline blood films. Analysis of the obtained data revealed a good level of accuracy in the study of histological sections of the myocardium (As 85%) and polycrystalline blood films (As 88%). Conclusion: Thus, developed and tested method of azimuthal-invariant polarization Mueller-matrix microscopy allows to differentiate the cause of death in cases of AP and CMP.

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Natural hazard fatalities in Switzerland from 1946 to 2015

10.5194/nhess-2016-232 ◽

2016 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Alexandre Badoux ◽

Norina Andres ◽

Frank Techel ◽

Christoph Hegg

Keyword(s):

Natural Hazards ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Natural Hazard ◽

Age Groups ◽

Data Set ◽

Fatal Accidents ◽

Female Victims ◽

The Past ◽

Common Causes ◽

Male To Female

Abstract. A database of fatalities caused by natural hazard processes in Switzerland was compiled for the period between 1946 and 2015. Using information from the Swiss flood and landslide database and the Swiss destructive avalanche database, the data set was extended back in time and more hazard processes were added by conducting an in-depth search of newspaper reports. The new database now covers all natural hazards common in Switzerland categorized into seven process types: flood, landslide, rockfall, lightning, windstorm, avalanche, and other processes (e.g. ice avalanches, earthquakes). Included were all fatal accidents associated with natural hazard processes where victims did not expose themselves to an important danger on purpose or wilfully. The database contains information on 635 natural hazard events causing 1023 fatalities, which corresponds to a mean of 14.6 victims per year. The most common causes of death were snow avalanche (37 %), followed by lightning (16 %), flood (12 %), windstorm (10 %), rockfall (8 %), landslide (7 %) and other processes (9 %). About 50 % of all victims died in one of the 507 single-fatality events; the other half of victims were killed in the 128 multi-fatality events. The number of natural hazard fatalities that occurred annually during our 70-year study period ranged from two to 112 and exhibited a distinct decrease over time. While the number of victims during the first three decades (until 1975) ranged from 191 to 269 per decade, it ranged from 47 to 109 in the four following decades. This overall decrease was mainly driven by a considerable decline in the number of avalanche and lightning fatalities. About 75 % of victims were males in all natural hazard events considered together, and this ratio was roughly maintained in all individual process categories except landslides (lower) and other processes (higher). The ratio of male to female victims was most likely to be balanced when deaths occurred at home (in or near a building), a situation that mainly occurred in association with landslides and avalanches. The average age of victims of natural hazards was 35.9 years, and accordingly, the age groups with the largest number of victims were the 20–29 and 30–39 year-old groups, which in combination represented 34% of all fatalities. It appears that the natural hazard fatality rate in Switzerland during the past 70 years has been relatively low in comparison to rates in other countries or rates of other types of fatal accidents in Switzerland.

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Sex differences in the mortality rate for coronavirus disease 2019 compared to other causes of death

10.1101/2021.02.23.21252314 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pascal Geldsetzer ◽

Trasias Mukama ◽

Nadine K Jawad ◽

Tim Riffe ◽

Angela Rogers ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sex Differences ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Age Groups ◽

Causal Pathways ◽

Common Causes ◽

All Cause Mortality

Men are more likely than women to die due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This paper sets out to examine whether the magnitude of the sex differences in the COVID-19 mortality rate are unusual when compared to other common causes of death. In doing so, we aim to provide evidence as to whether the causal pathways for the sex differences in the mortality rate of COVID-19 likely differ from those for other causes of death. We found that sex differences in the age-standardized COVID-19 mortality rate were substantially larger than for the age-standardized all-cause mortality rate and most other common causes of death. These differences were especially large in the oldest age groups.

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Impact of Malnutrition and Smoking Habits of Parents on ARI

TAJ Journal of Teachers Association ◽

10.3329/taj.v14i2.8390 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 14 (2) ◽

pp. 78-80

Author(s):

MI Bari ◽

MI Haque ◽

AB Siddiqui ◽

MH Haidary ◽

MA Hossain

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Acute Respiratory Infection ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Age Groups ◽

Severe Pneumonia ◽

Smoking Habits ◽

Severe Malnutrition ◽

Who Guidelines ◽

Common Causes ◽

Male Preponderance

Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) is one of the leading common causes of death in young children in Bangladesh. Three hundred fifty one patients of ARI below five years of age are selected as per WHO guidelines. Out of 351 patients, one patient died due to very severe pneumonia with severe malnutrition. There was male preponderance in all the age groups and also 41% of male children had recurrent attacks of ARI. In this study, it was statistically proved that malnutrition (p=Q.00028) and smoking habits of parents (p=0.04054) had significant important risk factors on recurrent attacks of ARI. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.3329/taj.v14i2.8390 TAJ 2001; 14(2): 74-77

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The Demographic Analyses of Undiagnosed and Misdiagnosed Cancer Cases via Autopsy Data

Journal of Student Research ◽

10.47611/jsrhs.v10i4.2202 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Aishvarya Godla ◽

Andrew Zloza ◽

Marco Rossi

Keyword(s):

Causes Of Death ◽

Human Life ◽

Prostate Gland ◽

Age Groups ◽

Significant Degree ◽

Demographic Characteristics ◽

Common Causes ◽

Autopsy Data ◽

Cancer Types ◽

Prospective Analyses

Cancer is one of the most common causes of death. Recent increases in undiagnosed and misdiagnosed cancer cases at autopsies suggests that the presence of cancer is more prevalent in the general population than previously thought. Such cases may be different in certain populations with regard to key demographic characteristics (age, race, gender, etc.). Therefore, this study aimed to identify trends in these undiagnosed cases of different cancer types. The data suggest that cancers of the lung, gastrointestinal tract, and prostate gland were frequently undiagnosed/misdiagnosed, while cancers of the breast and brain are rarely missed. The data also show that the presence of undetected prostate cancer is likely not different, to a significant degree, in younger versus older age groups. This indicates that cancer possibly manifests early in human life but remains undetected for several decades. However, further research is required to confirm this hypothesis. The data suggests that the prevalence of undetected cancer is highest in African-Americans compared to other races/ethnicities such as European and Asian. With regard to gender, the prevalence of undetected cancer appears to be higher in men than women. To conclusively validate these findings, further research is needed including concurrent and prospective analyses on live cases.

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