The role of alcohol and patterns of alcohol-related deaths in Republic of North Macedonia within the period 2007-2020

Abstract

Excessive alcohol consumption is one of the most important factors in a substantial number of violent deaths. The aim of our study was to investigate alcohol-related deaths in the Republic of North Macedonia in the period from 2007 to 2020, in order to study the influence of elevated blood alcohol levels in violent deaths. Five hundred sixty-four post-mortem blood samples from alcohol-related death cases-natural deaths and violent deaths (suicides, accidents, and homicides)-were analyzed, and the results were evaluated according to sex, age, and cause of death. Among 564 cases, traffic accidents were the leading cause of violent death (54.3% of the cases) followed by suicides (19.9% of the cases). In the examined post-mortem samples, BAC values ranged from 0.15-6.20 g/L. The average age was 45 ± 16 years for the male and 49 ± 19 years for the female group. The biggest proportion of high BAC values was found in the group of accidents specifically road traffic accidents and accidental intoxication as well as in the group of bolus deaths. The analysis of BAC in the cases of violent deaths in the Republic of North Macedonia confirmed that consumption of alcohol is strongly related to violent deaths. The data obtained from this study could raise caution and give aid in a national strategy for the prevention of alcohol-related violent deaths.