TY - JOUR

T1 - The association between obesity and lethal blood alcohol concentrations

T2 - a nationwide register-based study of medicolegal autopsy cases in Sweden

AU - Clinical Sciences, Malmö, Lund University, Department

AU - Ottosson, Anders

N1 - Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

PY - 2014/11

Y1 - 2014/11

N2 - Obesity is a global problem and in aspects of lethal ethanol intoxications virtually unexplored. The cause of death in ethanol intoxication is generally considered to be suppression of the respiratory function. Previous research indicates that respiratory function is more vulnerable in obese subjects than in those of normal weight. We hypothesized that lethal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is lower in obese subjects compared to those of normal weight. We used the Swedish medicolegal autopsy register and identified all medicolegal autopsy cases in Sweden during the period from 1999 to 2013 (N=79,060), and identified 1545 cases with ethanol intoxication identified as the primary cause of death. We studied the association between body mass index and lethal BAC using logistic regression models that we adjusted using several potential confounders such as age, sex, drugs, and extent of decomposition. We observed an association between obesity and lower lethal BACs. The estimated adjusted odds ratio of the association between obesity and a lethal BAC >3‰, using subjects of normal weight as reference, was 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.39-0.74. The result indicates that in obese subjects the lethal BAC is lower than in those of normal weight.

AB - Obesity is a global problem and in aspects of lethal ethanol intoxications virtually unexplored. The cause of death in ethanol intoxication is generally considered to be suppression of the respiratory function. Previous research indicates that respiratory function is more vulnerable in obese subjects than in those of normal weight. We hypothesized that lethal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) is lower in obese subjects compared to those of normal weight. We used the Swedish medicolegal autopsy register and identified all medicolegal autopsy cases in Sweden during the period from 1999 to 2013 (N=79,060), and identified 1545 cases with ethanol intoxication identified as the primary cause of death. We studied the association between body mass index and lethal BAC using logistic regression models that we adjusted using several potential confounders such as age, sex, drugs, and extent of decomposition. We observed an association between obesity and lower lethal BACs. The estimated adjusted odds ratio of the association between obesity and a lethal BAC >3‰, using subjects of normal weight as reference, was 0.54, 95% confidence interval: 0.39-0.74. The result indicates that in obese subjects the lethal BAC is lower than in those of normal weight.

KW - Adolescent

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Alcoholic Intoxication/blood

KW - Body Mass Index

KW - Central Nervous System Depressants/blood

KW - Ethanol/blood

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Logistic Models

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Obesity/epidemiology

KW - Registries

KW - Sweden/epidemiology

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.09.012

DO - 10.1016/j.forsciint.2014.09.012

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 25300068

VL - 244

SP - 285

EP - 288

JO - Forensic Science International

JF - Forensic Science International

SN - 0379-0738

ER -