An Autopsy Based Observational Study on the Pattern of Unnatural Death among Adult Married Females of the age group 18-45 years at S.M.S. Medical College, Jaipur

Abstract

Background: In India, unnatural deaths among married women pose a serious medico-legal and public health concern. Regional autopsy data is essential for examining epidemiological trends and developing preventative measures. Objectives: In this study, married women between the ages of 18 and 45 who had medico-legal autopsies at a tertiary care centre in Rajasthan were examined for their demographic profile, manner and cause of death, injury patterns, and medico-legal results. Materials and Methods: The Department of Forensic Medicine and Toxicology at Sawai Man Singh Medical College and attached hospitals in Jaipur carried out an observational, hospital-based study. One hundred medico-legal autopsies of married women between the ages of 18 and 45 who passed away from unnatural causes were examined in this study. Police inquest reports, clinical hospital records, autopsy reports, and laboratory results were used to create the data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Results: The largest cohort (30%) consisted of women between the ages of 31 and 35. 94% of the fatalities were Hindu, 58% lived in rural areas, and 53% had been married for more than ten years. Accidents accounted for 59% of deaths, with homicide coming in second at 5% and suicide at 36%. Road traffic accidents accounted for 47% of deaths, followed by poisoning at 24%, burns 15%, and hanging at 11%. Shock was the most prevalent immediate cause of death (59% of cases), organophosphorus chemicals were the most commonly utilized poisons, and head trauma was the most common deadly trauma. Conclusion: According to this study, poisoning, burns, and hanging are the next most common causes of unnatural death among married women, after traffic accidents. These results highlight the critical need for stronger traffic safety regulations, better trauma care, easily accessible mental health services, safer pesticide handling procedures, and thorough medico-legal investigations.

Keywords: Married women, Medico-legal autopsy, Poisoning; Rajasthan, Road traffic accident; Unnatural death.