DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE OF UNNATURAL DEATHS IN PAEDIATRIC POPULATION IN AND AROUND RAJKOT REGION: AN AUTOPSY BASED STUDY
Keywords:
Unnatural deaths, Pediatric autopsy, Pediatric MortalityAbstract
Background: The future of a country depends on the status of its children. Although substantial global progress has been made in reducing child mortality, there is widespread disparities among mortality rates and causes of death in children among various geographical regions. The mortality statistics in cases of death of children due to unnatural mechanisms is of utmost importance because it directly reflects the status of a country’s development. Objective: The present study is an attempt to review the various autopsy findings to decide the cause of death with special emphasis on the unnatural mechanisms of death and explore and analyse the relation between paediatric deaths and various demographic indicators like age, sex, type of family, education status of mother and socioeconomic status of family. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was of a duration of two years in which 202 cases of unnatural paediatric deaths received for post-mortem examination were studied. Observations: It was observed that unnatural deaths were the most common cause of paediatric mortality overall. Mortality was more in male children and in the age group of one to five years. Further, more deaths were observed in children from the upper lower class, nuclear families and in most cases the mother was uneducated or had only a minimal education. Conclusion: Awareness on child safety measures, strengthening the health care system and knowledge of legislation is required in the public to reduce child mortality.
Downloads
References
Kumar P, Taxy J, Angst DB. Autopsies in children. Are they still useful? Jama pediatrics, 1998, Arch Pediatric Adolescent Medicine, 1998, 152(6): p 558- 563. Available from: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/ jamapediatrics/fullartricle/189612e .
Debata PK, Deswal S, Kumath M. Causes of unnatural deaths among children and adolescents in northern India – A qualitative analysis of post mortem data, Journal of Forensic and Legal Medicine, 2014, Volume26, Pages 53-55. Available from https:// www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/ S1752928X14001140?via%3Dihub
Rathod JS, Pithadiya NR, Chaudhari KR, Kyada HC. Retrospective study of pediatric autopsy findings in a tertiary care centre. An evaluation, Indian Journal of Forensic and Community Medicine.2019,Vol-6(4), Pages:240-243.
Celine TM, A Study on Childhood Death at a Tertiary Care Level in Ernakulam District, Ann Med Health Sci Res. 2013 Jul-Sep; 3(3): 407–411. Available from https:/ /www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3793449/
Dalal SR, Jadhav MV, Deshmukh SD. Autopsy study of pediatric deaths. The Indian Journal of Pediatrics.2002,Volume -69(1):23- 5.ForensicScience.[cited 2014June25] Available from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11876115/
Nooyi SC, Sonaliya KN, Dhingra B, Roy RN, Indumathy P, Soni RK and et al. Descriptive Epidemiology of Unintentional Childhood Injuries in India: An ICMR Taskforce Multisite Study, Indian Pediatrics, 2021, 58:517-524. Available from https:// www.indianpediatrics.net/June2021/june-517-524.htm
Badari S, Gopal YS, Devaramani SC. Infant mortality, its components and correlates: findings from a longitudinal study in rural Karnataka, India, Genus.1991,Jan – Jun;47(1-2):89-108. Available from https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12284827/
Reddy KSN. The Essentials of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. 33rd ed. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) Ltd; 2014.
Vij K. Textbook of Forensic Medicine & Toxicology. 5th ed. New Delhi: Reed Elsevier India Private Limited; 2011.
Kannan K. A Textbook of Medical Jurisprudence and Toxicology. 26th edition, Haryana, LexisNexis, 2019.
Labour Bureau of India, Available from http:// labourbureau.nic.in/indtab.pdf. Doa:13/10/22.
Sharma L, Autopsy in Foetal Infant Deaths, Intechopen, 2020, Available from https:// www.intechopen.com/chapters/72362.
Organization WHO, Children: improving survival and well-being, Available from https://www.who.int/ news-room/fact-sheets/detail/children-reducing mortality,Doa :15/07/21.
