Spectrum of unnatural deaths: autopsies conducted at A. J. Institute of medical sciences & research centre, Mangalore

Introduction: The incidence of unnatural deaths is found to be persistently increasing. Pattern of unnatural deaths is a reflection of the prevailing social set up and mental health status of the population. Aim: This retrospective and prospective study was undertaken to analyze the various aspects related to unnatural deaths autopsied at A. J. Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Mangalore which is tertiary health care teaching hospital catering the healthcare needs of rural population of coastal Karnataka and Northern districts of Kerala. Materials and Methods: Materials for the present retrospective and prospective study consists of unnatural deaths autopsied at Department of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology, A. J. Institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Mangalore, Karnataka, during the period from January 2005 to September 2013. All the relevant data were studied from police inquest reports, postmortem reports, chemical analysis report, histopathology report, hospital record findings, and information obtained from relatives and friends. Due permission was taken from Institutional Ethics Committee of A.J. institute of Medical Sciences & Research Centre, Mangalore for the conduct of the study. Results: Among 797 unnatural deaths, 643 were males and 154 were females. Five hundred and fourteen cases of unnatural deaths were in the age group of 20 to 49 years with a peak incidence of 30% in the age group of 20 to 29 years.  Sixty three percent of unnatural deaths were secondary to Road traffic accident followed by those resulted from poisoning (9%).  Males outnumbered females in all types of unnatural deaths except in case of burns. Majority of unnatural deaths were due to accidents (83%) followed by Suicide (12%), homicide (3%) etc. Twenty percent of suicide victims had underlying Psychiatric illness.  Violence was the preferred means of mechanical injuries (77%) followed by burning (19%) and drowning (1%).   Conclusion: Males are the pre