Alcohol and unnatural deaths in the West of Ireland: a 5-year review

Abstract

Alcohol remains a major contributor to unnatural deaths in the West of Ireland, particularly with respect to mortality in young people. Young men are especially vulnerable. Deaths in RTCs and by drowning and hanging are commonly associated with alcohol. Many driver fatalities involve alcohol levels far above legal limits. Alcohol measurement in all unnatural deaths would facilitate more accurate determination of its role.

A retrospective analysis of alcohol in medico-legal autopsied deaths in Pretoria over a 1 year period

“…Our results compared well with a study done by Loftus and Dada [1] in Cape Town (1985 -1989) who found that 52% (n = 498) of cases tested positively for alcohol, a study done by Ingoldsby and Callagy [17], from 2003 to 2007, in the West of Ireland who also found that 52% (n = 162) tested positive and a study done by Campelo and Caldas in Brazil from 2006 to 2008 [18], who reported a 47% positivity (n = 1116).…”

“…Alcohol was present in 281 (52%) of the 537 RTAs, and our findings are comparable to those of Ingoldsby and Callagy [17], who found that 51% of their 74 RTAs tested positive. Our study and those from Ingoldsby and Callagy showed slightly higher numbers than those from Loftus and Dada [14], where alcohol was associated with 41% and 40% of RTAs, respectively.…”

“…Although pedestrians ranked highest (43%) of all RTA victims, drivers were found to have the highest incidence (63%) of testing positive for alcohol, which is similar to the studies done in Ireland (Bellis and Ingoldsby) [14,17] and a study done in 2007 by Etab et al in Jordan [21].…”

Alcohol Consumption Among Drivers in Curitiba, Brazil

“…This association is supported by evidence from hospital-based studies that utilize Associate Editor Kathy Stewart oversaw the review of this article Address correspondence to Sandra Lúcia Vieira Ulinski Aguilera, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Paraná (PUCPR), Rua Arthur Thomas, 2481 ap.02, Centro, Rolândia, PR, Brasil. E-mail: sandraulinski@hotmail.com blood, urine, or breath samples to assess RTI victims' blood alcohol content (Gjerde et al 2011;Ingoldsby and Callagy 2010;Tomas Dols et al 2010). Consumption of alcohol prior to driving increases the severity of traffic injuries and the likelihood of death (WHO 2007).…”

Toxicology findings in cases of hanging in the City and County of San Francisco over the 3-year period from 2011 to 2013

“…Just like in other studies, ethanol is the most commonly encountered psychoactive substance in hanging decedents in San Francisco [12][13][14]. Our study suggests that many hanging decedents were intoxicated by alcohol at the time of death.…”