ANALYSIS OF DEATHS DUE TO ACUTE INTOXICATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF KOREA: AN AUTOPSY-BASED STUDY

J. Y. Na

Abstract: Due to its high reliability, forensic autopsy data are useful for determining cause of death and studying deaths. This study aimed to analyze deaths resulting from acute intoxication in the Republic of Korea. This study analyzed 448 deaths resulting from acute intoxication using forensic autopsy data. This study analyzed a demographic characteristics, cause and manner of death, and type and blood concentration of the toxic substance. The most common manner of death was a suicide. The most common type of toxic substance was gas, followed by drugs and agrochemicals. The mean blood concentration was 0.417% among acute intoxication deaths due to ethyl alcohol, which was the most common toxic alcohol. Among acute intoxication deaths due to chemicals, nicotine and cyanide were the most common. Among insecticides, organophosphates and carbamates were the most common and, among herbicides, organophosphates were the most common. The most common intoxication drug was zolpidem and, in cases of acute multi-drug intoxication, an average of 2.7 drugs were detected at a blood concentration above the therapeutic range. The mean blood concentration was 68.6% for deaths due to carbon monoxide intoxication. This is the first nationwide study to analyze acute intoxication deaths in the Republic of Korea using autopsy data and shows several points to consider in forensic aspect.
Keywords: autopsy, cause of death, epidemiology, poisoning, Republic of Korea