Review article
https://doi.org/10.21860/medflum2019_221626
Starvation as an issue in legal medicine
Ivan Šoša
; Zavod za sudsku medicinu i kriminalistiku, Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Filip Štefanac
; Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Valter Stemberga
; Zavod za sudsku medicinu i kriminalistiku, Medicinski fakultet Sveučilišta u Rijeci, Rijeka, Hrvatska
Abstract
Starvation with a fatal outcome is just an exceptional cause of death in developed countries. However, this phenomenon may have far greater significance if a criminal case related-death is the consequence of deliberate denial of food. In such cases, the task of a specialist in the field of legal medicine or pathology is to clarify the cause of death and give a professional opinion on the degree and duration of violent starvation. For the evaluation of protein-energy malnutrition, several classification systems have been developed, which are also described in the article. There are many age-related factors that can lead to loss of appetite and weight loss, and they are being considered in this review article. Suddenly, specially interesting cases of starvation affect children, as a result of abuse and neglect. It is precisely these examples from the literature and we are cited in this paper, concerning older people. These people, due to the unbalanced relationship of strength, are particularly vulnerable to the group, which is also the most common type of malnutrition protein-energy malnutrition.
Keywords
children; neglection; starvation
Hrčak ID:
221626
URI
Publication date:
1.9.2019.
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