Links between alcohol and external causes of deaths in males: an autopsy study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to analyse deaths due to external causes in males in northwest Slovakia.

Study design: This was a cross-sectional autopsy study.

Methods: The autopsy registry provided information on fatalities in males in northwest Slovakia due to external causes in 2015. Data were analysed by age, cause of death and blood alcohol concentration (BAC), and the contribution to overall mortality was calculated.

Results: From a total of 305 fatalities, the dominant cause of death was unintentional (other than traffic; 56.7%), followed by intentional (26.6%) and traffic (16.7%). A BAC of ≥0.5 g/kg was found in 43.9% of deaths. Lower levels of BACs (0.5-1.9 g/kg) were observed in relatively high proportions among the younger (aged ≤34 years) and older (aged ≥65 years) males (17.9% and 14.0%, respectively), as well as in the traffic and intentional injury cause of death categories (23.5% and 19.8%, respectively). Male deaths due to external causes had a 6.2% contribution to overall mortality in northwest Slovakia.

Conclusions: Alcohol intoxication frequently co-occurs with fatalities from external causes, including at lower BACs, indicating the harmful role of alcohol at all concentrations.

Keywords: Alcohol; External causes of death; Mortality.