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Citation |
Russo MC, Verzeletti A, Piras M, DE Ferrari F. Am. J. Forensic Med. Pathol. 2016; 37(3): 141-145. |
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Affiliation |
From the Istituto di Medicina Legale, Università degli Studi di Brescia, Brescia, Italy. |
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Copyright |
(Copyright © 2016, Lippincott Williams and Wilkins) |
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DOI |
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PMID |
27281442 |
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Abstract |
Hanging is a form of asphyxia caused by external pressure on the upper airways deriving from a band tightened by the gravitational weight of the body. During a 33-year period from 1983 to 2015, there were 260 hanging deaths examined at the Brescia Institute of Forensic Medicine (Northern Italy), which represented approximately 40% of all the asphyxial deaths recorded during this period. Almost all of the cases were represented by suicidal events, 1 case was a homicide event and there also was a case of sexual asphyxia. Eighty-two percent of the victims were men; 18% were women. There was an increasing tendency in the ages between 20 and 60 years, and the highest number of cases was observed in the 41- to 50-year age group (23% of the cases). The most common place chosen by the victim was the home setting followed by isolated outdoor places. The most common ligature material was a rope. The pathological findings were evaluated in all cases. Language: en |