{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,30]],"date-time":"2026-04-30T01:51:00Z","timestamp":1777513860272,"version":"3.51.4"},"reference-count":58,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,4]],"date-time":"2023-06-04T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1685836800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Toxics"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Interpreting fatalities involving khat is challenging due to a lack of data on cathinone and cathine reference concentrations in postmortem tissues. This study investigated the autopsy findings and toxicological results of fatalities involving khat in Saudi Arabia\u2019s Jazan region from 1 January 2018 to 31 December 2021. All confirmed cathine and cathinone results in postmortem blood, urine, brain, liver, kidney, and stomach samples were recorded and analyzed. Autopsy findings and the manner and cause of death of the deceased were assessed. Saudi Arabia\u2019s Forensic Medicine Center investigated 651 fatality cases over four years. Thirty postmortem samples were positive for khat\u2019s active constituents, cathinone and cathine. The percentage of fatalities involving khat was 3% in 2018 and 2019 and increased from 4% in 2020 to 9% in 2021, when compared with all fatal cases. They were all males ranging in age from 23 to 45. Firearm injuries (10 cases), hanging (7 cases), road traffic accident (2 cases), head injury (2 cases), stab wounds (2 cases), poisoning (2 cases), unknown (2 cases), ischemic heart disease (1 case), brain tumor (1 case), and choking (1 case) were responsible for the deaths. In total, 57% of the postmortem samples tested positive for khat only, while 43% tested positive for khat with other drugs. Amphetamine is the drug most frequently involved. The average cathinone and cathine concentrations were 85 and 486 ng\/mL in the blood, 69 and 682 ng\/mL in the brain, 64 and 635 ng\/mL in the liver, and 43 and 758 ng\/mL in the kidneys, respectively. The 10th\u201390th percentiles of blood concentrations of cathinone and cathine were 18\u2013218 ng\/mL and 222\u2013843 ng\/mL, respectively. These findings show that 90% of fatalities involving khat had cathinone concentrations greater than 18 ng\/mL and cathine concentrations greater than 222 ng\/mL. According to the cause of death, homicide was the most common fatality involving khat alone (77%). More research is required, especially toxicological and autopsy findings, to determine the involvement of khat in crimes and fatalities. This study may help forensic scientists and toxicologists investigate fatalities involving khat.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/toxics11060506","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,5]],"date-time":"2023-06-05T02:18:29Z","timestamp":1685931509000},"page":"506","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Fatalities Involving Khat in Jazan, Saudi Arabia, 2018 to 2021"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"11","author":[{"given":"Ghassan","family":"Shaikhain","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1610-0175","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Mohammed","family":"Gaballah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Medicine Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ahmad","family":"Alhazmi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Medicine Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ibrahim","family":"Khardali","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ahmad","family":"Hakami","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Medicine Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Magbool","family":"Oraiby","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Sultan","family":"Alharbi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohammad","family":"Tobaigi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Medicine Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohammed","family":"Ghalibi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Medicine Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohsen","family":"Fageeh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mohammed","family":"Albeishy","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5801-8500","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ibraheem","family":"Attafi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Forensic Toxicology Services, Forensic Medical Center, Ministry of Health, Jazan 45142, Saudi Arabia"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,4]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"19","DOI":"10.1016\/0376-8716(89)90029-X","article-title":"Khat consumption: A pharmacological review","volume":"23","author":"Nencini","year":"1989","journal-title":"Drug Alcohol Depend."},{"key":"ref_2","unstructured":"Drug Enforcement Administration (2020). 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