POSTMORTEM BLOOD SUGAR AND BLOOD UREA NITROGEN DETERMINATIONS.

Area of Science:

• Forensic Pathology
• Clinical Chemistry
• Toxicology

Background:

• Accurate postmortem diagnosis is crucial for determining cause of death.
• Diabetes and uremia are significant health conditions that may require postmortem confirmation.
• Previous studies on postmortem analyte stability have yielded varied results.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of postmortem blood and cerebrospinal fluid glucose and urea nitrogen levels for diagnosing diabetes and uremia.
• To establish the reliability of these biochemical markers in postmortem investigations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of blood and cerebrospinal fluid samples from 160 postmortem examinations.
• Determination of glucose and urea nitrogen concentrations using standard laboratory techniques.
• Comparison of postmortem values with clinical history and autopsy findings.

Main Results:

• Postmortem blood glucose levels were unsuitable for reliable diagnosis; no normal range could be established.
• Cerebrospinal fluid glucose showed uniformity but low values; diabetics had high levels with significant overlap with non-diabetics.
• Infants under 3 months exhibited high postmortem glucose values.
• Postmortem urea nitrogen levels were normal in accident victims but elevated in hospital autopsy cases.
• Postmortem urea nitrogen levels exceeding 100 mg% strongly indicated uremia.

Conclusions:

• Postmortem blood glucose testing is not recommended for diagnosing diabetes.
• Cerebrospinal fluid glucose offers limited diagnostic value for diabetes due to overlap.
• Postmortem urea nitrogen levels are a more reliable indicator for diagnosing uremia.
• Age and clinical context (e.g., hospital autopsy) influence postmortem urea nitrogen interpretation.