Abstract: Objective To study the histopathological changes in drug-related death cases in order to pro- vide valuable information for its diagnosis. Methods Thirty cases of drug-related death were collected for systemic autopsy and histopathology examination. Ante mortem history and other informations of each case were also reviewed and analyzed. Results Injection marks, emaciation, asphyxia and histopathological changes in critical organs and tissues correlated with addiction behavior. In the 30 cases, 20% died of diseases, 33.3% acute drug intoxication, 26.7% quitting drug, l0% sudden death, and l0% outside vio- lence. Conclusion Systemic autopsy and histopathology examination in drug-related death are useful for determination of the cause of death in these cases.

Key words: forensic pathology, poisoning, drug