Ethyl alcohol consumption characteristics of deceased individuals in Lithuania

Abstract

The number of alcohol-related deaths in Lithuania has fallen by almost one-third in the last decade; however, the number of deaths has been on the rise since 2019. Data on the postmortem investigation of victims between 2018 and 2022 were obtained from the Lithuanian State Forensic Medicine Service database. This study analyzed data from 1200 autopsies. The deceased victims were categorized based on their cause of death and blood alcohol concentration (sober, legally intoxicated, mild, medium, or heavy). The causes of death were diseases (54.17 %, n = 650), suicides (12.08 %, n = 145), homicides (2.5 %, n = 30), and accidents (31.25 %, n = 375). Toxicological tests for alcohol were performed in all cases. Alcohol levels in the blood and urine were measured using gas chromatography. A significant correlation was observed between blood alcohol concentration and age (r = −0.13, p = 0.007). A statistically significant difference was observed in the proportions of men and women who were intoxicated. Among the causes of death, the group of individuals who died because of accidents exhibited the highest average blood alcohol concentration. Alcohol intoxication is undoubtedly a contributing factor to fatalities resulting from accidents and homicides. These findings assist in determining the intoxication level of victims and in assessing any potential links that may contribute to or predispose victims to lethal outcomes in cases of disease, suicide, homicide, or accident.