Undiscovered solitary deaths in the four largest cities in the Netherlands.

Background: Research has shown a higher prevalence of individuals lying dead unnoticed in their homes (domestic-setting corpses) in Amsterdam, compared to adjacent less urbanized cities and villages.

Objective: To determine if there is a difference in incidence of domestic-setting corpses in the four major cities in the Netherlands and identifying demographic patterns accounting for possible differences.

Methods: Data of domestic-setting corpses with a post mortem interval of at least 14 days were extracted from forensic registrations of the four largest cities in the Netherlands. These data were analysed using Poisson-regression and compared to numbers of Statistics Netherlands to calculate the incidence rate of domestic-setting corpses. Only single households were included.

Results: The incidence of DSC14 is not significantly different between Amsterdam, The Hague and Rotterdam. The incidence rate of DSC in these cities is almost twice as high compared to Utrecht (corrected for age and sex 1,9; 95% CI:1,1-3,0).

Conclusion: The incidence rate of DSC14 is comparable in the three largest cities of the Netherlands, and significantly higher compared to the smallest of the four (Utrecht). Possibly the lower number in Utrecht is related to less loneliness, a higher social participation and a difference in architecture.