Citation

Pathak MK, Kumar A. Med. Legal Update 2014; 14(2): 92-96.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2014, R.K. Sharma and Institute of Medico-Legal Publications)

DOI

10.5958/0974-1283.2014.00757.9

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Unnatural deaths due to violent asphyxia have a serious psychological and social impact on the family and community. Violent asphyxial deaths include death due to hanging, strangulation, suffocation and drowning. The aim of this study is to find out how violent asphyxial deaths affect incidence, age, sex, habitat, marital status, religion, manner of death and its medico legal consequence. Material & Method: The present retrospective study has been conducted for the period of 5 consecutive years i.e. 2009 to 2013 based on autopsy record of the unnatural death cases resulting from Violent asphyxial deaths. During study period total no. of unnatural Death cases were 10215 and deaths due to violent asphyxia were 887.These cases were brought to the Department of Forensic Medicine, IMS, BHU,Varanasi and have been analyzed retrospectively. Finding: Unnatural deaths reported during the study period due to violent asphyxial deaths were averaging 8.7%. Male violent asphyxial deaths dominated over female in the ratio of 2.1:1.Predominant age group were found to be 21-30 years (34%) followed by age group 11-20 and 31-40 years showing (20%) and (19 %) reflecting that young adults were more involved in such type of deaths. Most of the deceased were from the married group (22%) followed by unmarried (11%) and marital status of (67%) people were unknown. Involvement of rural population is more 76% than urban population (11%).Religion wise Hindus (84%) predominated over other religions.

CONCLUSION: Analysis of data for retrospective study suggests that age, sex, habitat, marital status, religion and manner of death significantly affect community. In the present study Violent asphyxia was 4rth most common cause of death after road traffic accident, burn, poisoning in Varanasi region. © 2014, World Informations Syndicate, All Rights Reserved.

Language: en

Keywords

adolescent; adult; human; violence; Domestic violence; suicide; drowning; female; infant; male; newborn; asphyxia; aged; incidence; autopsy; Suffocation; sex difference; cause of death; hanging; strangulation; rural population; major clinical study; retrospective study; marriage; medicolegal aspect; groups by age; religion; urban population; urban rural difference; Traumatic Asphyxia; Article; young adult; Hindu; Muslim; married person; single (marital status); suffocation; habitat; Violent Asphyxial Death