Valoración de las lesiones físicas en 702 casos de violencia sexual en la provincia de Alicante (2016-2020) / Analysis of injuries in 702 cases of sexual assault in Alicante (Spain) during the years (2016-2020)

Introducción: el objetivo principal de este trabajo es analizar las características de las víctimas y circunstancias de la violencia sexual asociadas con un mayor riesgo de presentar lesiones físicas, así como determinar la frecuencia y severidad de las mismas. Material y Métodos estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de 702 casos de violencia sexual atendidos en el Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Alicante entre 2016 y 2020. Se ha realizado un estudio comparativo entre las víctimas de violencia sexual con lesiones físicas y sin lesiones, para analizar las variables asociadas que pueden influir en su presentación. Resultados del total de 702 víctimas de violencia sexual, 314 casos (44,8%) presentaban lesiones físicas. Las víctimas con lesiones físicas la mayoría eran mujeres (95,5%), entre 18 y 27 años (31,3%), que referían un consumo voluntario previo de sustancias, fundamentalmente de alcohol (50%). Las lesiones físicas más frecuentes fueron a nivel extragenital (38,6%), seguidas de lesiones a nivel anogenital (15%), de carácter leve en la mayoría de los casos (97,5%). Los días totales de curación fueron menores o iguales a una semana (83,4%). La mayoría se curó sin secuelas (97,1%). Las víctimas que presentaron secuelas (9 casos), las más frecuentes fueron de carácter psíquico (1,6%). Conclusiones la violencia sexual en el grupo de víctimas con lesiones físicas se asocia a factores de vulnerabilidad para la víctima: sexo femenino, edad entre 18 y 27 años y consumo previo de alcohol. Nuestro estudio confirma que las lesiones anogenitales son poco frecuentes en la mayoría de las víctimas de violencia sexual, por lo que su ausencia no puede descartar el haber sufrido violencia sexual. Las lesiones físicas encontradas fueron de carácter leve en la mayoría de los casos. La ausencia de secuelas psíquicas en muchas de las víctimas puede estar condicionado por el escaso seguimiento de las mismas. (AU)

Introduction: The aim of this paper is to analyze the characteristics of the victims and the circumstances of sexual violence related with the risk of physical lesions, as well as to determine the frequency and severity of the injuries. Material and methods Descriptive study of 702 cases of sexual assault attended at the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Alicante between the years 2016–2020. A comparative study was carried out between victims with and without injuries, to identify the variables associated to their presentation. Results 314 victims attended showed physical injuries (44,8%). Profile of the victims with injuries were women (95.5%), aged 18 to 27 years (31.3%), and previous alcohol consumption (50%). Injuries physical were mainly extragenital (38.6%), anogenital (15%), or both, and most cases were mild in severity (97.5%). Recovery was less to one week (83.4%) and without aftermath (97.1%). When the victim showed aftermath (9 cases), the most frequent were psychological type (1.6%). Conclusions Physical injuries in sexual violence is related with circumstances of victim vulnerability: women, age between 18 to 27 years, and previous alcohol consumption. Our study shows that anogenital lesions are absent in a significative number of victims of sexual assault, so this absence cannot exclude sexual violence. The lesions found are mild in severity, and the absence of physical aftermath in most of the victims may be conditioned by the scarce follow-up of them. (AU)

Presencia de sustancias psicoactivas en las víctimas de violencia sexual en la provincia de Alicante (España) durante los años 2016-2020 / Incidence of psychoactive substances in victims of sexual assaults in Alicante province (Spain) during the years 2016-2020

Introducción: el empleo de drogas psicoactivas para facilitar una agresión sexual ha adquirido gran relevancia en estos últimos años. El objetivo del presente trabajo es ayudar a visibilizar este tipo de situaciones, estableciendo los criterios diagnósticos y así poder determinar la incidencia real de este tipo de delitos. Material y métodos: se ha realizado un estudio descriptivo retrospectivo de las víctimas de violencia sexual mediante el empleo de sustancias psicoactivas, atendidas por los médicos forenses del Instituto de Medicina Legal y Ciencias Forenses de Alicante, en los años 2016 a 2020. Resultados: de los 702 casos estudiados de víctimas de violencia sexual, en 95 casos (13,5%) se cumplían los criterios de sospecha de sumisión química o delitos facilitados por sustancias psicoactivas. El perfil de la víctima es mujer (94,7%), de edad media 24,7 años. En la mayoría de los casos la violencia sexual fue cometida por un único agresor (80,6%), varón, conocido o recién conocido por la víctima y generalmente los hechos ocurrieron en fin de semana (54,8%). La víctima había consumido voluntariamente alcohol solo, o en combinación con drogas y/o medicamentos, inmediatamente antes de los hechos en la mayoría de los casos (88,5%). La situación de vulnerabilidad que genera este consumo puede ser aprovechado por el agresor para agredirla sexualmente (sumisión química oportunista). Los análisis químico-toxicológicos de las muestras analizadas en la sangre y la orina fueron positivos en un 85,3% de los casos. En casi la mitad de los casos fueron positivos a más de una sustancia (46,3%). Las más frecuentes encontradas fueron: alcohol (54,7%), cannabinoides (37,9%), benzodiacepinas (22,1%), cocaína (15,8%) y éxtasis (8,4%). En la mitad de los casos (50,5%), se obtuvieron hallazgos toxicológicos positivos inesperados de sustancias psicoactivas, que la víctima no admitía haber consumido voluntariamente.(AU)

Introduction: The use of psychoactive drugs to facilitate sexual assault has acquired great relevance in recent years. The objective of this work is to help make this type of situation visible, establishing diagnostic criteria and thus being able to determine the real incidence of this type of crime. Materials and methods: In order to determine the frequency and characteristics of victims of sexual assault with suspected chemical submission (SSQ), a retrospective descriptive study of sexual assaults facilitated by psychoactive substances has been carried out at the Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences of Alicante in the years 2016-2020. Results: Among 702 cases studied, 95 (13.5%) met the criteria for inclusion in the probable DFSA (drug-facilitated sexual assault) group. The profile of the victim was a woman (95.4%) around 24 years old. In most cases, the sexual violence was committed by a single male aggressor, recently met or known by the victim, and generally these events happen on weekends. The victim had voluntarily consumed alcohol, drugs or psychotropic drugs immediately before the events in most cases (88,5%). This vulnerable state of the victim was used by the aggressor to sexually assault her (opportunistic DFSA). The toxicological analyses performed on blood and/or urine were positive in 85.3%. In almost half of them (46.3%), there was more than one substance found in the toxicological analyses. The most frequent substance found were: alcohol (54.7%), cannabinoids (37,9%), benzodiazepines (22.1%), cocaine (15.8%) and ecstasy or MDMA (8.4%). In half of the cases (50.5%), unexpected positive toxicological findings were obtained for psychoactive substances that the victim did not admit to having consumed voluntarily.(AU)

Medical and pathologic characteristics of fatal anaphylaxis: a Spanish nationwide 17-year series.

Forensic series on fatal anaphylaxis are scarce, probably because the diagnosis of anaphylaxis is often complex and the incidence is low. We report on the medicolegal, demographic and histopathological characteristics of a series of sudden deaths which were investigated for anaphylaxis at the Spanish National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (INTCF) over a 17-year period (1998-2015). A total of 122 undetermined sudden deaths from a high percentage of Spanish regions (81.5% of the total population) were sent to the INTCF with anaphylaxis as the suspected cause of death for histological, biochemical, and medicolegal investigation. Two certified allergists confirmed that 46 of the 122 cases were fatal anaphylaxis. The results indicated a median age of 51 years (IQR = 29) and a male predominance (76%). The main causes of anaphylaxis were drugs (41%), hymenoptera stings (33%), and food (13%). A previous allergic event had been reported in both food anaphylaxis (67%) and drug anaphylaxis (53%). The deaths occurred in health care settings (37%), at home (22%), and outside the home (26.09%). Histopathology data were available for 40 individuals. The most frequent autopsy findings were angioedema of the upper airways (50%), pulmonary edema (47.5%), atheromatosis of coronary vessels (32.5%), and pulmonary congestion (27.5%). Our findings for fatal anaphylaxis indicated a predominance of men, older age (≥50 years) and death in a health care setting (one-third of cases). Previous episodes had occurred in two-thirds of cases of food-induced anaphylaxis and in half of the cases of drug-induced anaphylaxis.

Protocolo de actuación médico forense para el reconocimiento del maltrato al anciano / Protocol for elder abuse medical forensic examinations

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Clinical and demographic characteristics of fatal anaphylaxis in Spain (1998-2011): A comparison between a series from the hospital system and a national forensic series.

BACKGROUND: Reports of fatal anaphylaxis remain scarce because of the rarity of the condition and the fact that information is limited to a few countries. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to investigate clinical and demographic characteristics and the causes of fatal anaphylaxis in Spain using two databases of cases of fatal anaphylaxis. METHODS: We analysed fatal anaphylaxis in a series from the Spanish hospital system and a series from the National Institute of Toxicology and Forensic Sciences (Instituto Nacional de Toxicología y Ciencias Forenses [INTCF]), which predominantly comprise extrahospital deaths. Deaths from the Spanish hospital system were retrieved from among all deaths occurring during 1998-2011 using codes related to anaphylaxis. Deaths due to anaphylaxis in the INTCF database during the same period were retrieved by 2 allergists, who identified cases in which anaphylaxis was a possible cause of death. A logistic regression model was constructed to predict the characteristics of fatal anaphylaxis in each database. RESULTS: The incidence of death by anaphylaxis in Spain using both databases was 0.25 (95% CI, 0.24-0.26) deaths per million person-years. The most frequent causes of death in the hospital system were drugs (46.1%), unknown causes (40.0%), and foods (10.4%); in the INTCF, the most common causes of death were drugs (47.2%), insect stings (30.6%), and foods (11.1%). The logistic regression model showed that fatal anaphylaxis due to unknown causes (OR 15.2, 95% CI 1.8-129.8) was more likely in the hospital database, whereas insect stings (OR 100, 95% CI 10-833.3) and previous atopic comorbidity (OR 15.2, 95% CI 6.3-33.3) were more likely in the INTCF database. CONCLUSIONS & CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The estimated frequency of fatal anaphylaxis in Spain was among the lowest reported. Future studies of fatal anaphylaxis should use databases from different origins in order to show the considerable heterogeneity in this type of death.

Cloroquina como instrumento de suicidio / Use of chloroquine in suicides

El empleo de la cloroquina con fines suicidas no es frecuente en España. En los últimos años, en algunos países europeos se ha incrementado el número de suicidios por cloroquina, por la difusión del conocimiento de esta sustancia por activistas en defensa del suicidio asistido a través de diferentes medios de comunicación. Presentamos 3casos de suicidio con cloroquina estudiados en el IMLCF de Alicante en los últimos 7 años. Hemos obtenido en la autopsia resultados inespecíficos, al igual que lo publicado en otros trabajos. El estudio toxicológico confirmó la intoxicación por cloroquina. En 2de los 3casos habían consultado la mezcla de sustancias y dosis empleadas en páginas web. En el tercer caso en un libro de ayuda al suicidio. Es fundamental obtener la máxima información durante el levantamiento del cadáver, a fin de realizar la autopsia y dirigir el estudio toxicológico para poder llegar al diagnóstico de intoxicación por cloroquina

The use of chloroquine to commit suicide is not common in Spain. However, the number of suicides by chloroquine has increased in some European countries in recent years due to the awareness raised about this substance through various media by assisted-suicide defence activists. We present 3cases of suicide with chloroquine studied at the Institute of Forensic Medicine and Forensic Sciences (IMLCF) of Alicante in the last 7years. Consistent with other published studies, our autopsies yielded nonspecific results but the toxicological study confirmed chloroquine poisoning. In 2of the 3cases, the victims had looked up the mixture of substances and dose used online. In the third case, a suicide help book was used. It is essential to obtain as much information as possible upon initial examination of the body in order to perform the autopsy and to prompt the toxicological study to reach the diagnosis of chloroquine poisoning