Preliminary results of an interdisciplinary survey of drug victims

• Published in: Forensic science international Vol. 62; no. 1; pp. 147 - 149
• Main Authors: Keul, H.-G., Schäfer, V., Lörcher, U., Schneider, M., Lutz, F.-U., Reuhl, J.
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ireland Ltd 01.11.1993; Elsevier
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Adult; Bacteriologieal findings; Biological and medical sciences; Case-Control Studies; Cause of Death; Chronic Disease; Comorbidity; Data Collection; Drug abuse; Drug addictions; Female; Forensic Medicine; Granuloma, Foreign-Body - epidemiology; Granuloma, Foreign-Body - etiology; Granuloma, Foreign-Body - pathology; Hepatitis - epidemiology; Hepatitis - etiology; Hepatitis - pathology; HIV Seropositivity - epidemiology; Humans; Interdisciplinary co-operation; Lung Diseases - diagnostic imaging; Lung Diseases - epidemiology; Lung Diseases - etiology; Lung Diseases - microbiology; Lung Diseases - pathology; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Myocarditis - epidemiology; Myocarditis - etiology; Myocarditis - pathology; Pathological findings; Patient Care Team; Radiography; Risk Factors; Substance-Related Disorders - complications; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - mortality; Testicular Diseases - epidemiology; Testicular Diseases - etiology; Testicular Diseases - pathology; Toxicology; Bacteriologieal findings; Drug abuse; Pathological findings; Interdisciplinary co-operation; Human; Drug addiction; Histopathology; Autopsy; Mortality; Bacteriological investigation; Morbidity
• ISSN: 0379-0738; 1872-6283
• DOI: 10.1016/0379-0738(93)90060-N

In an interdisciplinary study, 53 cases of drug-related death were investigated. Forty per cent of these cases exhibited acute or chronic hepatitis; foreign body granulomas were detected in 30%. By CT-scan of the left lung, small abscesses and pneumonic focuses could be localized. The spectrum of bacterial strains isolated from lung tissue did not differ significantly from that of a control group. Severe alterations of the testes, i.e. reduction of spermatogenesis, was present in a considerable number of cases. The high rate of myocarditis diagnosed (18%) supports the idea that besides acute intoxication, drug-related death is due to multifactorial origin.