SUDDEN-DEATH DUE PRESUMABLY TO INTERNAL USE OF METHAMPHETAMINE

A 26-year-old male was found naked and excited in the backyard of his neighbor's house. He was carried to a nearby hospital, and returned home with his family, but took a sudden turn for the worse and died. In a judicial autopsy, the ethanol concentration of blood was found to be 0.58 g/l, and methamphetamine (MA) was detected in his blood by thin-layer chromatography. The concentration of MA in his blood was 4.38 mumol/dl, higher than the fatal level. The amount of MA in his stomach was 5.8 mg (34.58 mumol/100 g), indicating that he ingested MA by internal use. Among the autopsy cases of acute MA poisoning reported in Japan, hypersthesia is known to last 1-3 h before death, whether the administration is by intravenous injection or orally. But the present case is quite unusual, as the death followed 6 h or more of hypersthesia. This was attributed to the patient's combined intake of alcohol with MA, as it is known to decrease the mortality in mice.