Profile of Deaths Due To Hanging - A 10 Years Autopsy Based Retrospective Study at a Medico-Legal Centre of a Tertiary Healthcare Centre in South-Western Maharashtra

Sachin Chourasia; Reshma Karki; Ravi Rautji; Shivakumar D K; KV Radhakrishna

Volume : VIII, Issue : V, May - 2019

Profile of Deaths Due To Hanging - A 10 Years Autopsy Based Retrospective Study at a Medico-Legal Centre of a Tertiary Healthcare Centre in South-Western Maharashtra

Sachin Chourasia, Reshma Karki, Ravi Rautji, Shivakumar D K, Kv Radhakrishna

Abstract :

Hanging is aform of asphyxia caused by suspension of the body by a ligature which encircles the neck, the constricting force being the weight of the body. Hanging is also a common method of suicide as the materials necessary for suicide by hanging are readily available to the average person, compared with firearms or poisons. The present 10 year retrospective study was undertaken with an objective to study the demography of hanging; its distribution according to age, sex, type of ligature material used, place of occurrence of the incidence, month wise variation and autopsy findings with an aim to identify pattern and recommended measures for the prevention of the same.During the ten–year study period from the year 2008 to 2018, a total of 2660 cases were ought for medico legal autopsy to mortuary of which suicide as a result of hanging accounted for 8.9 % (n = 237 cases). Predominant gender was male 157 cases (66.2 %) with male: female ratio of 1.9:1. In the age group 21–30 years (n = 94, 39.6%) maximum number of cases were found, second peak was found between 31–40 years (n = 54, 22.8%). In the month of Jul (n = 28, 11.8 %) the maximum numbers of cases were encountered. Next surge was in the following month of June (n = 27, 11.4 %). Dupatta/chunni was the commonest (35.1%) ligature material. Most (94.9%) of the bodies were recovered from inside the living rooms. Ninety seven percent had complete suspension. WHO estimates that about 170,000 deaths by suicide occur in India every year, but few epidemiological studies of suicide have been done in the country. Though such type of study cannot be the only solution for those human tragedies, the concept of “suicide as a preventable disease” should be well understood and demands thorough and detailed investigations including prevention strategies and outreach programmes especially in younger age group.