Analysis of sudden deaths in a coastal region of South India

ABSTRACT Background Sudden death as a term is used to describe deaths occurring in an apparently healthy individual within 24 hours with or without onset of symptoms. A medicolegal investigation is crucial to identify such deaths and exclude unnatural causes. Objective The present research is an attempt to study the causes and profile of victims of sudden unexpected deaths in Mangalore, a coastal town in South India Methods A registry based retrospective study was conducted in the Department of Forensic Medicine, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, India. All the cases of sudden unexpected deaths during December 2004 and December 2009, which were diagnosed to be due to natural causes after autopsy were included in the study and analysed. Results A total of 248 cases of sudden and unexpected deaths were analysed. The male to female ratio for sudden natural deaths was 7:1 and the peak age incidence (35.9%) was observed between 46 and 60 years. Cardiovascular diseases were found to be the predominant cause of sudden death (40.7%) followed by infections (25.8%) and respiratory disorders (15.7%). Conclusion Middle aged males are observed to be the most affected population and the predominant causes of death are cardiovascular diseases and infections. Copyright © 2014, Indian Journal of Medical Specialities. Published by Reed Elsevier India Pvt. Ltd. All rights reserved.