Doctor’s warning after teen sports ace dies from steroids
Luke, 18, passed away in middle of sitting his leaving Cert, inquest told
A CORONER has warned of the dangers of steroid use after an 18-year-old died in the middle of his Leaving Cert exams.
Luke O’brien-may, from Grange in Kilmallock, Co Limerick, was a skilled sportsman who played rugby, football, hurling and basketball.
Cork City Coroner Philip Comyn said the death on June 18 last year at Cork University Hospital was a tragedy.
He added: “He was a fine young man with all the world ahead of him.”
CUH’S Dr Robert Plant and the Assistant State Pathologist Dr Margaret Bolster indicated that on the balance of probabilities Luke developed a swelling of the brain because of his usage of the steroid Stanozolol.
As a result, Mr Comyn recorded a verdict of misadventure in the case.
He said he had a duty to warn the public of the “significant health risks” associated with taking steroids. Mr Comyn added: “Most of these steroids are obtained illegally. You do not know what you are getting. People need to be told of this. I hope people will become aware of the dangers of [these drugs] by Luke’s passing.”
Luke’s mum Brid said he became ill while completing his exams. He was seen by a GP for a suspected vomiting bug and was hospitalised at University Hospital Limerick on June 13. He was then transferred to CUH where he died.
She said she had “reservations” about the findings in the case, adding there was a “huge leap of faith” about the cause of death. Brid said: “My concern is I brought my son to a hospital. I
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thought he would get medical treatment but instead of getting better he was getting worse.”
The family GP Dr Eamonn O’callaghan said Luke presented at his surgery on June 12 with headaches and vomiting.
He added Luke was an otherwise healthy boy with no history of illness and received the normal treatment given in such situations.
Luke’s dad Denis said he found an empty packet with the name Stanozolol at their home and handed it to medics in Limerick.
Dr Plant, who treated Luke at CUH, said anabolic steroids cause a myriad of damage to the organs.
He told how when Luke deteriorated at the hospital a CT scan revealed a “devastating” swelling of the brain.
Dr Plant said there was a “rapid and vicious spiral downwards” and warned of the dangers of ingesting such illicit drugs. Assistant State Pathologist Dr Bolster said the cause of death in the case was severe cerebral edema and brain stem due to the ingestion of Stanozolol.
She stressed the impact on the body from steroids was an “evolving story”.
The steroid was detected in the body of the deceased at postmortem.
Dr Bolster said the issue wasn’t quantity but whether anabolic steroids “were present or absent”.
At the closure of the inquest, Mr Comyn commended Luke’s parents for donating his organs, saying the people who received them were doing well and were grateful for their extraordinary gesture at a
difficult time.
I hope people become aware of the dangers by Luke’s passing
PHILIP COMYN