Burden and commonest cause of sudden natural death among medicolegal autopsies in a tertiary care centre: a retrospective study

Anurupa, Choudhury; Madhab, Baruah Aditya; Himangshu, Das

doi:10.31741/ijhrmlp.v7.i2.2021.7

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…1,3,4,11,14,15 In our study, the majority (70%) of SD victims were from urban areas, which is consistent with other similar studies. 4,11 This is due to the sedentary lifestyle and westernization with the increased smoking and alcohol consumption habits adopted by people in urban areas. In addition, the stress levels of urban and rural life are well known to differ.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 92%

“…This finding matches various studies. [11][12][13] All of these studies noted that middle age groups of 30 to 50 years are at high risk for SD. This finding appears to reflect behavioral and environmental factors that impact the health of society resulting from urbanization, the shift to a Western lifestyle, and the rapid nutritional transition and sedentary lifestyle with increased substance abuse habits.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Epidemiological profiles and causes of sudden deaths of various ages in Ethiopia: an autopsy-based study

Lema,

Tekle

2023

F1000Res

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Background Sudden death is an important global public health issue. An autopsy is an important source of epidemiological data, as the considerable causes of sudden death remain hermetic until postmortem examination. This study is devoted to evaluating the sociodemographic, behavioral, clinical and pathological characteristics of sudden deaths of various ages in Ethiopia. Methods This is an observational, prospective, descriptive study that included all sudden deaths observed over 1 year at St. Paul’s Hospital and Millennium Medical College, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Results Sudden death (n = 568) accounted for 11.5% of all autopsied cases. There were 482 males and 86 females (M:F ratio of 5.6:1) and a mean age of 44.81±17.349. The peak age group was the fourth and fifth decades, accounting for 43.9% of the cases. Chronic substance abuse and a history of prior illness were declared in 40.1% and 38% of victims of sudden death, respectively. Cardiovascular (36.1%), respiratory (32.6%), and gastrointestinal system (19.5%) pathologies were the most common causes. The leading underlying causes of sudden death were ischemic heart disease and pneumonia. Most (86.6%) sudden deaths occurred outside of a hospital setting. Conclusions Most of the causes of sudden death in Ethiopia can be prevented and treated. The majority of sudden deaths are silent without preexisting symptoms. Therefore, it is vital to develop public health measures that will help educate the community about the importance of recognizing the manifestation of various clinical conditions and the need to seek immediate clinical help. Furthermore, efforts should be made to make healthcare facilities accessible and affordable with adequate diagnostic and management capacity. Documentation of autopsy-based data could provide important epidemiological information to guide medical services, prevention efforts, and control measures.

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