Morris, Neil KennethDu Toit-Prinsloo, LorraineWebber, Lynne M.Saayman, Gert2016-06-202016-06-202016-05-31Morris NK, Du Toit-Prinsloo L, Webber L, Saayman G. The prevalence of HIV in the sudden, unexplained and unexpected death population at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory. S Afr J HIV Med. 2016;17(1), a424. http://dx. DOI.org/ 10.4102/sajhivmed.v17i1.424.1608-9693 (print)2078-6751 (online)10.4102/sajhivmed.v17i1.424http://hdl.handle.net/2263/53246PURPOSE : To determine the prevalence of HIV in the sudden, unexplained and unexpected (SUU) death population admitted to the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory. METHODS : This study was conducted at the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory. Blood samples were obtained from decedents who died suddenly and/or unexpectedly, during autopsy, by a forensic pathologist. Sample collection continued until 100 valid samples were analysed for HIV antibodies. The data collected included demographic details and case-related information. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION : SUU deaths accounted for 14% of all cases admitted to the Pretoria Medico-Legal Laboratory. The HIV prevalence in the SUU deaths was 43%, which is 17% higher than the general mortuary population in Pretoria ( p = 0.0045). The majority of these deaths were due to respiratory disease processes, with 12 cases having HIV/TB co-infection.en© 2016. The Authors. Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.Pretoria Medico-Legal LaboratoryHuman immunodeficiency virus (HIV)Tuberculosis (TB)HIV/TB co-infectionSudden, unexplained and unexpected (SUU) deathsArticle