Turkish Journal of Pathology

Türk Patoloji Dergisi

Turkish Journal of Pathology

Ankara Patoloji Bülteni Archive

2001, Vol 18, Num, 1     (Pages: 007-009)

A study for the causes of natural death in forensic autopsies (1984-1987)

Filiz Özyılmaz1, Derya Azmak2, Şemsi Altaner1, Vehbi Şeker1, A. Kemal Kutlu1

1Trakya Üniversitesi Tıp Fakülteki Patoloji Anabilim Dalı, Edirne
2Trakya Üniversitesi Tıp Fakültesi Adli Tıp Anabilim Dalı, Edirne


384 of the 671 autopsies carried out at Trakya University School of Medicine were forensic cases. 100 of them were determined as natural deaths and taken into the study. The ratio of the natural deaths in forensic cases was 26 % (100/384), while 16 cases were female and 84 cases were male (F/M: 1/5). Natural deaths were especially in 4th and 5th decades. The most common cause of the death was cardiovascular problems (50%). The other causes were related with respiratory system (19%), central nervous system (13%) and gastrointestinal system (10%). The cause of the death could not be found in 8 cases (8%). The most common cause of the cardiovascular deaths was the myocardial infarction. The ratio of myocardial infarction was 62% in cardiovascular deaths and 31% in all natural deaths. 25 of 31 deaths (80.6 %), which are due to myocardial infarction, were older than 40 years old. In conclusion, our results show that the most common cause of the natural deaths are cardiovascular diseases in our region and confirm the previous investigations.

Keywords : Adli otopsi, doğal ölüm