Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Director, Autopsy Department, Fars Province General Office, Legal Medicine Organization, Shiraz, Iran
2 Department of Toxicology and Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
3 Student Research Committee, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
4 Organ Transplant Research Center, Namazi Hospital, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
5 Department of Biotechnology, School of Paramedical, Shiraz University of Medical Science, Shiraz, Iran
Abstract
Background:Death due to acute poisoning is of medical, legal and social significance. This study was designed to investigate lethal poisonings among dead bodies referred to a regional office of Iranian Legal Medicine Organization (ILMO).
Methods:This was a retrospective descriptive-analytical study on dead bodies referred to Fars province regional office of ILMO in Shiraz, Iran, during April 2013 to the end of March 2014. For data analysis, only subjects with poisoning as the definitive cause of death were included.
Results:During the study period, 2,594 autopsies were conducted in Fars province office of ILMO, among which poisoning was found to be the cause of death in 147 autopsies (5.7%). Eighty-eight cases (59.9%) were men. The majority of subjects aged 20 to 30 years (50.3%). The greatest number of subjects (73.5%) was unmarried persons. Regarding the occupation, most subjects were unemployed (49.7%) followed by housewives (19.7%). Over half of the cases (54.42%) had died within less than 6 hours after the poisoning. The majority of cases were found dead at home (73.5%), while the rest had died in outpatient department or hospital wards. Suicide cases were far more common than unintentional cases (75.5% vs. 24.5%). Suicidal intention was significantly higher in subjects with lower educational status (P = 0.033). The most common causes of poisoning were pharmaceutical products (66.7%) followed by aluminum phosphide (10.9%) and other types of pesticides (7.2%).
Conclusion:Lethal poisonings is mostly seen in young adults, and those with lower educational level and unemployment. Suicidal intention is the main cause of lethal poisonings.
Keywords
How to cite this article: Montazeri M, Najafi N, Azarpira N, Zahedipour F. Investigation of Lethal Poisonings among Dead Bodies Referred to Regional Office of Iranian Legal Medicine Organization in Shiraz. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2015;4:151-5.
- Asadi R, Afshari R. Applying Global Burden of Diseases in Medical Toxicology. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2014;3:1.
- Akbari ME, Naghavi M, Soori H. Epidemiology of deaths from injuries in the Islamic Republic of Iran. East Mediterr Health J 2006;12:382-90.
- Bailey RK, Patel TC, Avenido J, Patel M, Jaleel M, Barker NC, et al. Suicide: current trends. J Natl Med Assoc 2011;103:614-7.
- Lund C, Teige B, Drottning P, Stiksrud B, Rui TO, Lyngra M, et al. A one-year observational study of all hospitalized and fatal acute poisonings in Oslo: epidemiology, intention and follow-up. BMC Public Health 2012;12:858.
- Patil A, Peddawad R, Verma VCS, Gandhi H. Profile of Acute Poisoning Cases Treated in a Tertiary Care Hospital: a Study in Navi Mumbai. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2014;3:36-40.
- Eddleston M. Patterns and problems of deliberate self-poisoning in the developing world. QJM. 2000;93:715-31.
- Chala TS, Gebramariam H, Hussen M. Two-Year Epidemiologic Pattern of Acute Pharmaceutical and Chemical Poisoning Cases Admitted to Adama Hospital Medical College, Adama, Ethiopia. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2015;4:106-11.
- Rhalem N, Aghandous R, Chaoui H, Eloufir R, Badrane N, Windy M, et al. Role of the poison control centre of Morocco in the improvement of public health. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2013;2:82-6.
- Afshari R, Majdzadeh R, Balali-Mood M. Pattern of acute poisonings in Mashhad, Iran 1993-2000. J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 2004;42:965-75.
- Ghane T, Behmanesh Y, Khazaei F. Annual Report of Recorded Phone Calls to Iran's Drug and Poison Information Centers (2014-2015). Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2015;4:97-101.
- Rajapakse T, Griffiths KM, Christensen H, Cotton S. A comparison of non-fatal self-poisoning among males and females, in Sri Lanka. BMC Psychiatry 2014;14:221.
- Mostafazadeh B, Farzaneh E. Risks and risk factors of repeated suicidal attempt: Study on unconscious poisoned patients. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2013;2:28-31.
- Mauri MC, Cerveri G, Volonteri LS, Fiorentini A, Colasanti A, Manfré S, et al. Parasuicide and drug self-poisoning: analysis of the epidemiological and clinical variables of the patients admitted to the Poisoning Treatment Centre (CAV), Niguarda General Hospital, Milan. Clin Pract Epidemiol Ment Health 2005;1:5.
- Yartire H, Hashemian AH, Saleh E. A View to Mortality Due to Poisoning Cases in Forensics Center of Kermanshah in 2006-2012. Adv Biol Res 2014;8:157-61.
- Akhgari M, Jokar F, Etemadi Aleagha A. Drug related deaths in Tehran, Iran: toxicological, death and crime scene investigations. Iran J Toxicol 2011;5:402-9.
- Najjari F, Afshar M. Deaths Due to Poisoning Referred to Legal Medicine Organization of Iran. Razi J Med Sci 2004;11:309-16. (In Persian)
- Varma NM, Kalele SD. Study of profile of deaths due to poisoning in Bhavnagar region. J Indian Acad Forensic Med 2011;33:313-8.
- Radhakrishnan R, Andrade C. Suicide: An Indian perspective. Indian J Psychiatry 2012;54:304-19.
- Pires MC, Silva Tde P, Passos MP, Sougey EB, Bastos Filho OC. Risk factors of suicide attempts by poisoning: review. Trends Psychiatry Psychother 2014;36:63-74.
- Ghazinour M, Emami H, Richter J, Abdollahi M, Pazhumand A. Age and gender differences in the use of various poisoning methods for deliberate parasuicide cases admitted to loghman hospital in Tehran (2000-2004). Suicide Life Threat Behav 2009;39:231-9.
- Shojaei A, Moradi S, Alaeddini F, Khodadoost M, Abdizadeh A, Khademi A. Evaluating the temporal trend of completed suicides referred to the Iranian Forensic Medicine Organization during 2006-2010. J Forensic Leg Med 2016;39:104-8.
- Curtin SC, Warner M, Hedegaard H. Increase in Suicide in the United States, 1999-2014. NCHS Data Brief 2016;(241):1-8.
- Dewan G. Analysis of Recent Situation of Pesticide Poisoning in Bangladesh: Is There a Proper Estimate? Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2014;3:76-83.
- Gunnell D, Eddleston M, Phillips MR, Konradsen F. The global distribution of fatal pesticide self-poisoning: systematic review. BMC Public Health 2007;7:357.
- Townsend E, Hawton K, Harriss L, Bale E, Bond A. Substances used in deliberate self-poisoning 1985-1997: trends and associations with age, gender, repetition and suicide intent. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2001;36:228-34.
- Nair PK, Revi NG. One-Year Study on Pattern of Acute Pharmaceutical and Chemical
- Azin SA, Shahidzadeh Mahani A, Abadi M, Omidvari S, Montazeri A. Substances Involved in Human Poisoning a Comparison between Intentional and Accidental Poisoning Cases. Iran J Epidemiol 2008;4:7-17.
- Senanayake N, Peiris H. Mortality due to poisoning in a Poisoning Cases Admitted to a Tertiary Care Hospital in Thrissur, India. Asia Pac J Med Toxicol 2015;4:79-82.
-
developing agricultural country: trends over 20 years. Hum Exp Toxicol 1995;14:808-11.
-
Mehrpour O, Jafarzadeh M, Abdollahi M. A systematic review of aluminium phosphide poisoning. Arh Hig Rada Toksikol 2012; 63:61-73.
)