A YOUNG Royal Navy recruit passed away after he started experiencing nose bleeds and night sweats, an inquest heard. The 20-year-old had been training to serve in the Royal Navy before being found in his bed by his mum Zoe on the morning of November 12, 2020. Zoe had desperately tried to resuscitate him, but it was "too late".
Joshua Owen had been well before going to bed and had been to the gym and work, DevonLive reports. But in the three months before his death, Joshua, from Plymouth had sought medical help after he started experiencing nighttime seizures , a symptom of epilepsy . He was awaiting a neurology referral when he died, as both his mum and half-brother already had this disease.
Read more on epilepsy In some parts of the country, a referral to a neurology clinic can take 12 months, the hearing in Exeter Court this week heard. After some back and forth Joshua's death was caused by Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP), despite never getting an epilepsy diagnosis, the coroner concluded. SUDEP is when someone who has epilepsy dies suddenly during or following a seizure and no other cause of death can be found.
According to the charity , SUDEP Action, about one in 1,000 people with epilepsy lose their lives to the rare phenomenon every year. Most read in Health "On the balance of probabilities, Joshua had suffered a number of seizures prior to his death, the latest of which had led to him suffering a facial injury," assistant coroner Ian Arrow told the court. ".
