Fatal Water Intoxication in a Schizophrenic Patient / 대한법의학회지

ABSTRACT

We report a case of fatal water intoxication in a schizophrenic patient. A 41-year-old schizophrenic male, who was admitted to a psychiatric hospital, was found dead in the restroom of the hospital. He had drunk many bowls of tap water before. On the postmortem examination, the brain was diffusely edematous, but no apparent herniation was noted. The lung was mildly expanded with edema. The stomach and intestine were diffusely expanded, and the intestine and mesentery were extensively edematous. Bilateral hydronephrosis was observed. A subcapsular hematoma with focal cortical rupture was observed in the right kidney. The vitreous sodium was 102 mEq/l and potassium was 10.5 mEq/l.