A teenager accused of killing their mother died just hours after doctors discovered they were suffering from a "life-threatening" condition, an inquest was told. Rowan Thompson was an inpatient on the Gardener Unit at Prestwich Hospital when they passed away just days before they were due to appear in court.
The 18-year-old, who identified as non-binary and used the pronouns 'they/them', had suddenly collapsed a week before their death on October 3, 2020. An inquest at Rochdale Coroner’s Court held yesterday heard that doctors initially thought the incident was caused by a change in medication.
However, blood tests later revealed that the teen was suffering from "severe hypokalemia", Manchester Evening News reports. The condition means that there is too low a concentration of potassium in the blood, which can cause fatigue, muscle cramps and hallucinations.
