Inquest finds anorexic teen had pneumonia

A TEENAGE girl who died from pneumonia relating to anorexia nervosa weighed just three and a half stone when she died, an inquest heard on Wednesday.

Rose Ward, of Connolly Park, Tubbercurry, died at Sligo General Hospital in July 2007 after dropping in weight from 14st 7lbs to 6st 7lbs over an 18month period, Sligo Coroner’s Court heard.

She was admitted to hospital on three occasions in the weeks leading up to her death and weighted just 3st 7lbs when she died.

The inquest into her death opened in 2009, but was adjourned after solicitor Gerry McGovern for the family told the then Coroner Dr Des Moran that the Ms Ward’s parents had unanswered questions and wanted to know why permission had not been sought from them to force feed her. Ms Ward turned 18 less than three weeks before her death.

When the hearing resumed yesterday, Coroner Eamon MacGowan apologised to the girl’s family for the delay in resuming the inquest.

Consultant pathologist, Dr Malcolm Little, who performed the autopsy recounted the ‘devastating impact’ of anorexia nervosa on the teenager whose immunological system was compromised. ‘The poor girl never came out of it,’ he said.

He said she was easy prey to bacterial infection and had suffered a fatal lobar pneumonia, a disease commonly associated with malnutrition. Mr McGovern said the parents, Martin and Kathleen, were ‘glad to finally know what their daughter had died from and now knew it was pneumonia’.