| Abstract [eng] |
Introduction. Asphyxia is a severe disorder of the respiratory, circulatory and nervous systems caused by lack or complete absence of oxygen; suffocation. Objective. Analysis and comparison of demographics and the prevalence of deaths caused by asphyxia. Methods. A retrospective analysis of autopsy data from the State Forensic Medical Service was performed, selecting 208 cases of asphyxia for study between 2018 and 2022. Cases were divided into 5 groups according to type of asphyxia. These five groups were compared with each other in terms of age, sex, alcohol, toxicology report findings, and month of death to assess seasonality. Results. As a result of asphyxia (n = 208), 37 women and 171 men died. The average age of those who died of asphyxia was 52,24 years. The mean age of women (63,54 years) differed statistically significantly from that of men (49,79 years). The most common type of asphyxia was strangulation (n = 144). Compression asphyxia was the most prevalent cause of death among younger individuals, with a mean age of 44,25 years. There was a significant difference in ethyl alcohol concentration in the groups with asphyxia due to drowning, of which sober n = 3, non-sober n = 6, with a mean ethyl alcohol concentration of 2.85 ‰ compared to those who drowned. Of those who drowned, n = 19 were sober, n = 31 were drunk, with a mean ethyl alcohol concentration of 2.10 ‰. Conclusions. Asphyxia is the leading cause of death in men. Death due to asphyxia is more common in people of working age. Men die younger from asphyxia than women. The most common type of asphyxia is strangulation asphyxia. Compression asphyxia predominates among young men. People who died because of asphyxiation were more likely to be under the influence of ethyl alcohol compared to those who drowned. |
