Title |
Fatal caffeine overdose: Two case reports
|
---|---|
Published in |
Forensic Science International, October 2005
|
DOI | 10.1016/j.forsciint.2005.04.016 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Sarah Kerrigan, Tania Lindsey |
Abstract |
Caffeine is a mild central nervous stimulant that occurs naturally in coffee beans, cocoa beans and tea leaves. In large doses, it can be profoundly toxic, resulting in arrhythmia, tachycardia, vomiting, convulsions, coma and death. The average cup of coffee or tea in the United States is reported to contain between 40 and 150 mg caffeine although specialty coffees may contain much higher doses. Over-the-counter supplements that are used to combat fatigue typically contain 100-200 mg caffeine per tablet and doses of 32-200mg are included in a variety of prescription drug mixtures. Fatal caffeine overdoses in adults are relatively rare and require the ingestion of a large quantity of the drug, typically in excess of 5 g. Over a period of approximately 12 months our office reported two cases of fatal caffeine intoxication. In the first case, the femoral blood of a 39-year-old female with a history of intravenous drug use contained 192 mg/L caffeine. In the second case, femoral blood from a 29-year-old male with a history of obesity and diabetes contained 567 mg/L caffeine. In both cases, the cause of death was ruled as caffeine intoxication and the manner of death was accidental. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
United States | 3 | 21% |
New Zealand | 1 | 7% |
Canada | 1 | 7% |
France | 1 | 7% |
Spain | 1 | 7% |
Australia | 1 | 7% |
Unknown | 6 | 43% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 10 | 71% |
Scientists | 3 | 21% |
Practitioners (doctors, other healthcare professionals) | 1 | 7% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Malaysia | 2 | <1% |
Ireland | 1 | <1% |
Brazil | 1 | <1% |
Canada | 1 | <1% |
Mexico | 1 | <1% |
Spain | 1 | <1% |
United States | 1 | <1% |
Unknown | 203 | 96% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Bachelor | 67 | 32% |
Student > Master | 29 | 14% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 18 | 9% |
Researcher | 14 | 7% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 9 | 4% |
Other | 25 | 12% |
Unknown | 49 | 23% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 28 | 13% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 23 | 11% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 17 | 8% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 16 | 8% |
Chemistry | 16 | 8% |
Other | 52 | 25% |
Unknown | 59 | 28% |