An Autopsy Study of the Pattern of Unnatural Deaths among Youth at a Tertiary care Teaching Hospital in South India

Abstract

Mortality among youth owing to unnatural causes is on the rise. Hence, the present study was undertaken to estimate the number of such deaths, and assess the manner of death and the commonest cause of death. A total of 255 cases of unnatural deaths among youth aged between 15 and 29 years, autopsied at a tertiary care teaching hospital in South India were studied for a duration of 18 months from November 2015 to April 2017. Unnatural deaths among youth constituted 25.91%, 1/4th of all medico-legal autopsies. Males outnumbered females. Most of the victims were 24 to 26 years old male and 21 to 23 years old female. Most of the victims were Hindu. Socio-economically, most of the victims belonged to the middle class. Most of them were urban residents belonging to nuclear families. The majority of the victims were secondary school students. Most of the unnatural deaths were suicides; with victims aged 27 to 29 years. Hanging was the most commonly preferred method of committing suicide. The commonest reason was ill-health. Road traffic accidents claimed 43 lives, victims were mostly 24 to 26 years old and died due to head injury. Homicides accounted for 5.49% of unnatural deaths. Most of the homicidal deaths were due to injuries inflicted by sharp weapons, consequently, the majority of victims succumbed to shock and hemorrhage due to multiple injuries.