The Study of Pathological Findings in MedicoLegal Cases Positive for Urinary Methamphetamine in Thai Postmortem Cases Pathological Findings in Methamphetamine-Positive Cases
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study aims to study pathological findings in Thai postmortem cases who were positive for methamphetamine in urine and compare these findings to the control group which was negative for drugs of abuse.
METHODS: Retrospective study was conducted from autopsy reports and toxicological data of Thai postmortem cases between January 2018 and March 2020. The data were categorized into two groups including methamphetamine group and control group based on the detection of methamphetamine in urine. Sex, age and pathological findings were recorded in both groups. Chi-square test, Mann-Whitney U test and multiple comparisons with Games-Howell post-hoc test were performed where appropriate.
RESULTS: There were 85 methamphetamine cases with 170 in the negative control group. All study subjects were male. Average ages of these two groups were 46.71 and 45.38 years old. Heart weight in the methamphetamine group was significantly greater than in the control group (p<0.05). Histologically, the methamphetamine group showed significant myocardial hypertrophy and interstitial fibrosis
compared with the control group (p<0.01). The presence of alveolar hemosiderin-laden macrophages in the methamphetamine group was significantly higher than in the control group (p<0.001). Coronary artery stenosis was considered adjusted with age. In the methamphetamine group, the stenosis of the left anterior descending artery (LAD) at greater than 50% was significantly detected in younger ages than in the control group (p<0.05).
CONCLUSION: Methamphetamine had an association with increased heart weight and LAD stenosis greater than 50% in younger age in Thai male cadavers.
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