Drowning accidents - epidemiology and clinical presentation

Drowning is a current global problem that claims approximately half a million victims worldwide each year, above all in low and middle-income countries. African States have the highest drowning rates while most people drown in China. In the USA, drowning is one of the most frequent causes of death among the one to four-year-olds. Drowning sites vary by geographical conditions and age. Ethnic minorities are a risk group. Men drown more frequently than women. There is a multitude of medical and non-medical risk factors. Hypoxia is the cause for pathological changes and for secondary damage to other organs like the lung, the cardiovascular system, electrolytes, blood, the kidney and the central nervous system. The complex of symptoms in the near-drowned patient is heterogeneous and varies individually. The following article overviews the epidemiology of drowning worldwide as well as the clinical pathology of near-drowning victims.