The Influence of Age, Sex, and BMI on Neck Cartilage and Bone Fractures in Hanging Deaths: A 6-Year Autopsy Study

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Tarih

2025

Dergi Başlığı

Dergi ISSN

Cilt Başlığı

Yayıncı

Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications

Erişim Hakkı

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Özet

Background:Asphyxia by hanging is caused by the constricting force of a ligature encircling the neck, with gravity pulling the body downward. Postmortem examinations should focus on cartilaginous and soft tissues in the neck region.Aim:The present study aims to demonstrate the effect of various variables such as age, sex, height, weight, and BMI on postmortem findings in cartilaginous and bone tissues in the neck region.Materials and Methods:The study is a retrospective descriptive study covering 248 cases of death by hanging.Results:The mean age of the cases was 39.8 years, and 69.8% (n = 173) of the cases were male. Thyroid cartilage fracture was observed in 98 (39.5%) cases and hyoid bone fracture in 80 (33.3%) cases. Hyoid bone fractures were 4.4 times more frequent in women (P < 0.05). Although there was no significant difference between the number of thyroid cartilage fractures and sex (P = 0.274). There was a significant difference in terms of weight (P = 0.004) in cases with thyroid fracture and in weight (P = 0.001) and height (P = 0.037) in cases with hyoid fracture. A significant difference was observed in BMI in the occurrence of thyroid cartilage fractures (P < 0.05).Conclusion:This study is one of the largest series in the literature and is an important study that reveals the statistical significance of neck cartilage and bone tissues in autopsy results. When investigating neck cartilage and bone fractures in cases of death by hanging, the attending physician should consider the physical condition of the individual.

Açıklama

Anahtar Kelimeler

Asphyxia death, hanging, neck injuries, suicide

Kaynak

Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice

WoS Q Değeri

Q3

Scopus Q Değeri

Q2

Cilt

28

Sayı

10

Künye