ArticleHealth science reports2024
What medical conditions lead to a request for euthanasia? A rapid scoping review.
Article in Health science reports, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
10 citing papers in PubMed.
- Attitudes of older adults toward active euthanasia in advanced Alzheimer's disease.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2026Article
- Prevalence and trends of multimorbidity clusters in Belgian assisted dying practice: a health registry study.Age and ageing · 2026Article
- Factors Associated With Evolution of the Use of Medical Assistance in Dying: Protocol for a Scoping Review.JMIR research protocols · 2026Article
- Exploring the public attitudes toward euthanasia legalization in China, especially among individuals with mental disorders: a national cross-sectional study.Archives of public health = Archives belges de sante publique · 2025Article
- Incidence of reported cases of euthanasia adjusted for demographic composition: a study of ten years of Belgian administrative data (2014-2023).BMC public health · 2025Article
- Predictors of Support for Euthanasia and Physician-Assisted Suicide (EPAS) Among Older Adults in Israel.European journal of investigation in health, psychology and education · 2025Article
- Incidence and Prevalence of Reported Euthanasia Cases in Belgium, 2002 to 2023.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Reconsidering dependence on life-sustaining treatment as a criterion for assisted suicide: the Italian legal unicum in comparative perspective.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Multidimensional Study of the Attitude towards Euthanasia of Older Adults with Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- What medical conditions lead to a request for euthanasia? A rapid scoping review.Health science reports · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background and Aims: Euthanasia is a controversial issue related to the right to die. Although euthanasia is mostly requested by terminally sick individuals, even in societies where it is legal, it is unclear what medical conditions lead to euthanasia requests. In this scoping review, we aimed to compile medical conditions for which euthanasia has been requested or performed around the world. Methods: The review was preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist. Retrieved search results were screened and unrelated documents were excluded. Data on reasons for conducting or requesting euthanasia along with the study type, setting, and publication year were extracted from documents. Human development index and euthanasia legality were also extracted. Major medical fields were used to categorize reported reasons. Group discussions were conducted if needed for this categorization. An electronic search was undertaken in MEDLINE through PubMed for published documents covering the years January 2000 to September 2022. Results: Out of 3323 records, a total of 197 papers were included. The most common medical conditions in euthanasia requests are cancer in a terminal phase (45.4%), Alzheimer's disease and dementia (19.8%), constant unbearable physical or mental suffering (19.8%), treatment-resistant mood disorders (12.2%), and advanced cardiovascular disorders (12.2%). Conclusion: Reasons for euthanasia are mostly linked to chronic or terminal physical conditions. Psychiatric disorders also lead to a substantial proportion of euthanasia requests. This review can help to identify the features shared by conditions that lead to performing or requesting euthanasia.
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