The experimental group consisted of blood samples collected in the course of medico-legal autopsies of 23 hypothermia victims. The controls included blood samples originating from 34 victims of violent sudden deaths (deaths by hanging and traffic road accidents at the scene) and from ten individuals deceased after prolonged agony in consequence of post-traumatic subdural hematomas. In both groups, three subgroups were distinguished that included cases with ethanol levels within the following ranges: 0.0-0.99, 1.0-2.99 and ¡Ý3.0¡ë.
The comparison of determination results showed that irrespectively of blood ethanol concentration, cortisol, cortisone and corticosterone levels seen in hypothermia victims were significantly higher as compared to the controls (P < 0.001).