A 65-YEAR-old Accrington woman who had suffered from rheumatoid arthritis since she was 18 died as a result of the prolonged period over which she had been taking medication.

An inquest heard that a pain killing injection shortly before Doreen Holt died may have sparked an allergic reaction but this had not played any part in her death.

Mrs Holt, 65, of Moss Hall Road, was described by her husband Alfred Holt as a brave woman who had suffered a great deal of pain in her life.

For the last six years he had cared for her during a period when she was effectively immobile. The week she died he had gone to Scotland for a respite break but after receiving a phone call from their daughter returned immediately.

Mr Holt told how his wife had suffered an allergic reaction to a pain killer while in Wrightington Hospital 15 years earlier. She had received a pain killing injection while he was away and there had been a similar reaction.

He said Mrs Holt was reluctant to go into hospital but eventually her condition deteriorated and she had no choice. In Blackburn Royal Infirmary she went into a coma before dying on September 11.

Pathologist Dr Mawaheb Hammoud said the medical cause of death was acute peritonitis caused by a perforated ulcer in the small bowel as a result of taking non-steroid anti-inflammatory medication for rheumatoid arthritis.

Coroner Michael Singleton recorded a commentary verdict which reflected the pathologist's findings.