Journal List > Korean J Leg Med > v.41(4) > 1088004

Yoo, Lee, and Noh: Statistical Analysis of Legal Autopsy Cases Performed in the Jeollabuk-do Province of Korea in 2016

Abstract

This study aimed to obtain basic regional data of legal autopsy cases observed in the Jeollabuk-do province concerning causes and manner of death. We investigated 170 autopsy cases (114 males [67.0%] and 56 females [33%]) performed at the Department of Forensic Medicine, Chonbuk National University Medical School, in 2016. Of these, seven (4.1%) were children aged <10 years. Regarding the manner of death, there were 95 unnatural deaths (55.9%), 69 natural deaths (40.6%), and six deaths from unknown causes (3.5%). Among the 95 unnatural deaths, 29 suicides (30.5%), 10 homicides (10.5%), 52 accidental deaths (54.7%), and four undetermined deaths (4.2%) were recorded. Concerning causes of unnatural death, there were 39 traumatic injury-related deaths (41.2%), 10 asphyxiations (10.5%), 25 poisonings (26.3%), 13 thermal injury-related deaths (13.7%), and eight deaths due to drowning (8.4%). The most common cause of unnatural death was injury from falls (n=15), followed by agrochemical poisoning (n=12), traffic injury (n=12), and death from fire (n=11). Of 69 natural deaths, 31 were from cardiac diseases (44.9%), eight from cerebral or vascular diseases (11.6%), 12 from digestive system diseases (17.4%), one from respiratory system disease (1.4%), five from endocrine/metabolic/nutritional disorders (7.2%), and nine due to causes of unknown origin (including sudden manhood and sudden infant death syndromes) (13.1%).

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Table 1.
Distribution of age, sex, and manner of death in 170 autopsy cases
Age (yr) Sex Manner of death Total
Unnatural Suicide Homicide Accident Undetermined Natural Unknown Subtotal
≤9 M 1 1 3 4 007 (4.1)
  F 1 1 2 3  
10-19 M 1 1 1 2 003 (1.8)
  F 1 1 1  
20-29 M 5 1 4 4 9 010 (5.9)
  F 1 1  
30-39 M 2 1 1 5 7 015 (8.8)
  F 5 5 3 8  
40-49 M 6 2 3 1 12 1 19 026 (15.3)
  F 6 2 1 2 1 1 7  
50-59 M 22 4 3 15 15 37 058 (34.1)
  F 13 5 6 2 7 1 21  
60-69 M 12 3 1 8 7 19 022 (12.9)
  F 3 1 2 3  
70-79 M 5 1 2 2 4 1 10 017 (10.0)
  F 5 2 1 2 1 1 7  
≥80 M 5 5 1 6 009 (5.3)
  F 1 1 2 3  
NI M 1 1 1 003 (1.8)
  F 2 2  
  NI 0  
Subtotal M 60 (63.2) 13 (44.8) 12 (85.7) 34 (70.8) 1 (25.0) 52 (75.4) 2 (33.3) 114 (67.1) 170
  F 35 (36.8) 16 (55.2) 02 (14.3) 14 (29.2) 3 (75.0) 17 (24.6) 4 (66.7) 056 (32.9)  
  NI 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 000  
Total   95 (55.9) 29 (17.0) 14 (8.2)0 48 (28.2) 4 (2.4)0 69 (40.6) 6 (3.5) 170  

Values are presented as number (%).

M, male; F, female; NI, not identified.

Table 2.
Cause and manner of death in 95 unnatural death cases
  Suicide Homicide Accident Undetermined Subtotal Total
M F M F M F M F M F
Trauma 3 2 7 1 20 5 1 30 9 39 (41.2)
Blunt force injury 2 1 3 1 5 2 07 (17.9)
Sharp force injury 4 1 5 0 05 (12.8)
Gunshot injury 0 0 00
Traffic injury 7 5 7 5 12 (30.8)
Fall/Slip-down 3 2 1 9 13 2 15 (38.5)
Asphyxia 2 3 1 2 2 4 6 10 (10.5)
Hanging 2 3 2 3 05 (50.0)
Ligature strangulation 0 0 00
Manual strangulation 1 0 1 01 (10)
Choking 2 1 2 1 03 (30)
Smothering 1 0 1 01 (10)
Crushing asphyxia 0 0 00
Positional asphyxia 0 0 00
Poisoning 8 11 1 4 1 13 12 25 (26.3)
Ethanol 3 1 3 1 04 (16.0)
Agrochemicals 6 5 1 7 5 12 (48.0)
Therapeutic drugs 1 5 1 5 06 (24.0)
Carbon monoxide 1 1 1 2 1 03 (12.0)
Others 0 0 00
Thermal Injury 11 2 11 2 13 (13.6)
Fire 10 1 10 1 11 (84.6)
Burn 0 0 00
Heat stroke 0 0 00 (0)
Hypothermia 1 1 1 1 02 (15.4)
Drowning 2 5 1 2 6 08 (8.4)
Subtotal 13 16 8 2 39 15 0 2 60 35 95
Total 29 (30.5) 10 (10.5) 54 (56.8) 2 (2.1) 95  

Values are presented as number (%).

M, male; F, female.

Table 3.
Manner of death and fatal site of blunt- and sharp-force injury
  Head Neck Chest Abdomen Extremity Multiple TSH PSH Total
Blunt force injury                  
Suicide 0
Homicide 1 1 1 3
Accident 1 1 1 3
Undetermined 0
Sharp force injury                  
Suicide 0
Homicide 2 1 1 4
Accident 1 1
Undetermined 0

TSH, traumatic shock; PSH, primary shock.

Table 4.
Cause of death in 69 natural death cases
  Cause of death M F Subtotal Total
Heart Ischemic disease 17 4 21 (67.7) 31 (44.9)
  Myocardial disease    
  Valvular disease    
  Hypertensive disease 3 3 (9.7)  
  Others 5 2 7 (22.6)  
Vascular system Cerebral vessels 4 3 7 (87.5) 08 (11.6)
  Aorta    
  Pulmonary embolism 1 1 (12.5)  
Respiratory system Larynx/Pharynx   01 (1.4)
  Trachea    
  Lung 1 1 (100)  
Digestive system Stomach/Intestine 1 1 (8.3) 12 (17.4)
  Liver 6 3 9 (75.0)  
  Pancreas 2 2 (16.7)  
Endocrine/Metabolic/Nutritional disorder Chronic alcoholism   05 (7.2)
  Diabetes 4 4 (80.0)  
  Malnutrition 1 1 (20.0)  
  Others    
Pregnancy/Delivery/Puerperium Uterus   00
  Placenta    
  Embolism    
Perinatal conditions Hypoxia   00
  Others    
Ill-defined mortality SMDS 4 4 (44.4) 09 (13.1)
  SIDS 3 2 5 (55.6)  
  miscellaneous    
Miscellaneous Infection 1 1 (33.3) 03 (4.4)
  High altitude illness 1 1 (33.3)  
  Renal failure 1 1 (33.3)  
Total   52 (76.5) 16 (23.5)   69

Values are presented as number (%).

M, male; F, female; SMDS, sudden manhood death syndrome; SIDS, sudden infant death syndrome.

Table 5.
Manner of death in children under the age of 10 years
Sex Neonatal Infant Preschool Prepubertal Subtotal Total
M F M F M F M F M F
Unnatural death 2
Suicide 0
Homicide 1 1 1
Accident 1 1 1
Undetermined 0 
Natural 2 2 1 3 2 5
Unknown 0
Subtotal 2 3 2 4 3 7
Total 2 3 2 4 3 7

M, male; F, female.

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