{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,29]],"date-time":"2026-01-29T18:06:02Z","timestamp":1769709962825,"version":"3.49.0"},"reference-count":47,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,29]],"date-time":"2026-01-29T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1769644800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Psychiatry"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Introduction<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>There are currently limited autopsy-based studies on sudden unexplained death in patients with schizophrenia (SDU-SCZ).<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>We summarized the demographic data, autopsy characteristics, and postmortem antipsychotics result for a total of 152 SUD-SCZ decedents, encompassing three cases from our forensic center and 149 literature-reported autopsy cases.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>The SUD individuals were found in adults at all ages, ranging from 19\u201386 years old, with a male-to-female ratio being 94: 58. A total of 106 patients (69.7%, 106\/152) were documented to be overweight or obese. Autopsy findings were available in 77 of the 152 cases. The most frequent postmortem pathology was cardiac (46.8%, 36\/77), of which unclassified cardiomegaly, focal myocardial fibrosis, and mild coronary atherosclerosis were the most common manifestations, documented in 11 (14.3%), 8 (10.4%), and 5 cases (6.5%), respectively. Data on postmortem antipsychotics were available in 74 of the 152 cases, of which 65 (87.8%, 65\/74) were tested positive of any antipsychotic drug, all at therapeutic levels. Olanzapine and clozapine were the most commonly prescribed antipsychotic drugs, documented in 18 cases (24.3%, 18\/74) and 16 cases (21.6%, 16\/74), respectively. In these SUD-SCZ individuals, the exact cause of death remained unexplained after comprehensive autopsy examination and postmortem antipsychotics analysis.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Discussion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Linking premorbid conditions (e.g. overweight or obese) to antipsychotics medication histories and postmortem myocardial pathologies would facilitate a more accurate determination and interpretation of the cause of death. Forensic investigation is useful for developing preventive strategies for this vulnerable population.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpsyt.2026.1578123","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,1,29]],"date-time":"2026-01-29T06:42:19Z","timestamp":1769668939000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Forensic postmortem findings for sudden unexplained death in schizophrenia: case series and literature 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