9:32am Thursday 26th November 2009
A HOUGHTON teenager who had been accepted as a student at Cambridge University died in January after fighting a long battle with an eating disorder, an inquest heard on Wednesday.
Alice McKay Rae, who was 18, died at her home, Manor House Cottage, overnight on 13-14 January.
Her father, Peter Rae, told the inquest in Winchester that her problems became noticeable around the time she took her GCSE exams, in which was awarded nine A star grades.
By the time she started at Charterhouse School as a boarder in the autumn of 2006 she was behaving strangely, was anxious and unhappy and unable to do her work.
Despite changes of school and professional help her eating disorder problems grew over time.
''She was a highly intelligent young lady who was very, very unwell,'' said Mr Rae.
''Alice at times was simply eating and vomiting all day and every day and was very despondent about the therapy.
''By December 2008 she was unable to walk more than 50 yards and stayed home all day every day.''
One life threatening effect of the disorder had been to cause significant fluctuations in her potassium levels and when Dr Carol Ward from Stockbridge was told the level had fallen to 1.7 she immediately had her admitted to Winchester hospital on 29 December.
Alice was expected to stay there for five days but was discharged within 20 hours - to the surprise of Dr Ward.
Consultant pathologist Dr Adnan al Badri, who carried out the post mortem, was unable to ascertain the cause of Alice's death but suggested cardiac Arythmia associated with low potassium levels.
''I have no evidence that she died from low potassium levels but it is the most likely cause as I ruled out all other causes,'' said Dr Al Badri.
He said this was on the balance of probabilities as it is impossible to test potassium levels accurately after death.
Dr Ward added: '' This condition is devastating and it affects your ability to make rational decisions about your care and is very difficult to treat. Alice was aware and distraught but her whole being was taken over by this illness she was unable to do anything about it.''
Isabel Lewsey, an eating disorder therapist, who had been treating Alice in 2008, said that Alice had refused an intensive support programme in June 2008 and was aware of the dangers of low potassium linked to the disorder.
''Many are aware of the risk at an intellectual level but don't believe it will happen to them,'' she said.
The assistant deputy coroner Sarah Whitby delivered a narrative verdict saying that Alice died at home of an uncertain cause after suffering from anorexia and bulimia for which she had been receiving treatment with varying levels of success.
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