title: Serum cholesterol concentrations in parasuicide.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether people who have committed parasuicide have low serum cholesterol concentrations.
  
  
  METHODS
  All subjects admitted to the University Medical Unit, Ragama after parasuicide from 1.3.96 to 31.1.97 were matched for age, sex, presence of diabetes and arterial hypertension, substance abuse, body mass index and socioeconomic status with controls. Venous blood samples for cholesterol estimation were collected from parasuicides within 24 hours of admission.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Analysis was done on 168 parasuicide patients [males 74; mean age for males 24 years (SD 6.2), females 19 years (SD 3.3)] and 168 matched controls. Of the parasuicide subjects, 33 had a psychiatric illness and 135 were considered to have impulsive personalities. The serum cholesterol level in parasuicide patients was not significantly different from that in controls.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study, the first from a developing country, did not show an association between low serum cholesterol concentrations and parasuicide.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Kelaniya, Ragama.
authors.forename: S L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Seneviratne
authors.forename: W M
authors.initials: WM
authors.lastname: Warnasooriya
authors.forename: S B
authors.initials: SB
authors.lastname: Gunatilake
authors.forename: M M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fonseka
authors.forename: M K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Gunawardena
authors.forename: H J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: de Silva
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016728:Self-Injurious Behavior; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013188:Sri Lanka / Q000453:epidemiology; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol