Molecular autopsy for sudden death in Japan.
J Toxicol Pathol
; 37(1): 1-10, 2024 Jan.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38283375
ABSTRACT
Japan has various death investigation systems; however, external examinations, postmortem computed tomography, macroscopic examinations, and microscopic examinations are performed regardless of the system used. These examinations can reveal morphological abnormalities, whereas the cause of death in cases with non-morphological abnormalities can be detected through additional examinations. Molecular autopsy and postmortem genetic analyses are important additional examinations. They are capable of detecting inherited arrhythmias or inherited metabolic diseases, which are representative non-morphological disorders that cause sudden death, especially in infants and young people. In this review, we introduce molecular autopsy reports from Japan and describe our experience with representative cases. The relationships between drug-related deaths and genetic variants are also reviewed. Based on the presented information, molecular autopsy is expected to be used as routine examinations in death investigations because they can provide information to save new lives.
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Language:
En
Journal:
J Toxicol Pathol
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
Japan