title: Causes and circumstances of fatal falls downstairs.
abstract: Reports of 9156 autopsies performed at the Centre of Legal Medicine of the J.W. Goethe-University Frankfurt over a period of 10 years were reviewed for fatal accidents of falls downstairs, age, gender, drinking behaviour and alcohol influence, the locality and the time of the accident. Among 43 cases (0.47% of all autopsies) were 31 males (72.1%, average age 63.9 years) and 12 women (27.9%, average age 65.8 years). Twenty-nine accidents (67.4%) occurred at home, in six cases (14.0%) in a public building or area. Twenty-three victims (53.5%) were under the influence of alcohol (average blood alcohol concentrations (BAC): 2.56 per thousand), in 19 persons autopsy revealed severe internal disease which may explain the cause of the fall (severe coronary artery disease, myocardial hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, apoplexy, brain tumour). This study indicates that a fatal fall downstairs without an underlying severe disease or alcohol influence is a rare phenomenon.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Legal Medicine, J.W. Goethe-University, Kennedyallee 104, D-60596 Frankfurt am Main, Germany. bux@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Roman
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bux
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Parzeller
authors.forename: Hansjürgen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Bratzke
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls / Q000401:mortality*; D000061:Accidents, Home / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology; D002423:Cause of Death; D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants / Q000097:blood; D000431:Ethanol / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D005554:Forensic Medicine; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008103:Liver Cirrhosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011633:Public Facilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000401:mortality
chemical_list: D002492:Central Nervous System Depressants; D000431:Ethanol