WOMAN, 26, KILLED BY A NOSEBLEED
Rare condition ‘not direct cause’ of tragedy
A WOMAN with a very rare genetic disorder died suddenly after suffering a nosebleed while out socialising in a pub three years ago, an inquest has heard.
However, the coroner said the death of Lauren Rodgers was not a direct cause of her suffering from Job Syndrome – a rare immunodeficiency condition.
A postmortem carried out on the
26-year-old found she died after her airways became obstructed by blood and blood clots from a nosebleed she suffered at the Empire Bar on Main
Street, Swords on January 13, 2018.
Coroner Dr Clare Keane, who returned a narrative verdict, said she could not say conclusively the nosebleed was linked to Job Syndrome but would note that it might have been a contributory factor.
Evidence was given that Lauren, from Melrose Park, Kinsealy, Dublin, had spent two-and-a-half weeks at
Beaumont Hospital in late 2017 when she required a blood transfusion and surgery on her nose after suffering a heavy nosebleed.
Professor Rory Mcconn Walsh, an ear, nose and throat consultant at
Beaumont Hospital, said she suffered no complication or bleeding after the operation.
He added he had spent “many sleepless nights” wondering about Lauren’s death but said the cause of her nosebleeds was unclear as there were no abnormalities in her nasal blood vessels. The inquest at Dublin Coroner’s Court yesterday heard she collapsed shortly after arriving at the bar. Lauren had gone to the pub with her best friend, Catherine Cullen, who was due to leave for Australia a few days later.
Ms Cullen told the inquest that Lauren was struggling to breathe after running into the pub’s bathroom after suffering a heavy nosebleed. Fighting back tears, she remarked: “I did not know how serious it was”.
Lauren’s mother, Edith Rodgers, told the hearing how her daughter was in good form as she dropped her off at the pub in Swords that night.
She said she had been called by her friend within an hour to say she had a nosebleed and needed an ambulance.
Ms Rodgers described the shock of arriving at the Empire Bar and walking into an upstairs bathroom to find her daughter dead. She said:
“My life will never be the same again.”
Dr Muna
Sabah, who carried out the postmortem, told the inquest Lauren’s blood count level would not have been a factor in her death.