A “spirited” Warsash woman died when she suffered an extremely rare reaction to a drug that she was taking for a suspected gout outbreak.
Hester Newbury, who was known by her middle name Alma, was treated for a bunion on one of her feet with a prescription called allopurinol, an inquest in Portsmouth heard.
But when doctors at Brook Lane Surgery prescribed the 86-year-old the drug, she suffered what consultant dermatologist Hywel Cooper described as “a one in a million reaction” to the treatment.
The former physical education teacher, who lived in Brook Avenue, suffered red, itchy skin and lumps on her legs, arms, back and abdomen, which oozed fluid.
She was treated for the “dusky” skin lumps – known as toxidermatitis – at Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham. She was also taken care of for dehydration, problems with kidney failure and a lack of protein in the skin, which were partly a consequence of the reaction and because of her age.
Despite months of treatment, which initially improved the conditions – to the point doctors discussed with Mrs Newbury about releasing her for home care – she worsened and died at the hospital on October 3, 2011.
A post mortem revealed that a narrowing of the arteries and aorta valve in her heart, as well as a narrowing of the blood vessel to her kidneys were contributing factors to Mrs Newbury’s death.
Robert Stone, the deputy coroner for Portsmouth and Southeast Hampshire said: “Alma was a spirited lady. She taught PE and in the years leading up to her death she had lost the ability to get around.
“She still had her sense of humour, but she was not as happy as she had been.
“She was prescribed a course of allopurinol because it was thought she had gout. She reacted to that drug and it was immediately stopped as soon as the surgery was aware of that problem and admitted her to hospital.
“She was treated and discharged, then went back.
“While in hospital her condition improved but eventually towards the end of September 2011 it became too deteriorated and the deterioration led to her death.
“Doctor Cooper explained about allopurinol and said that it was a one in a million reaction to the drug. It was very, very uncommon. Alma was the one in a million.”
Mr Stone told the family: “It was my view that the allopurinol ultimately caused your mother’s death. Following the treatment of allopurinol, Alma Newbury developed skin problems which led to her death.”
He announced a verdict of death by misadventure.
