A BLACKBURN man who developed a liver problem when he was just nine months old died of sclerosis at the age of 20.

But an inquest heard that it was still not clear exactly when the problem had been and why Martin James Greenwood eventually lost the unequal struggle.

Martin lived with his parents, Colin and Ann Greenwood, in Hereford Road, Blackburn.

His mother told the inquest that doctors had never fully understood what had caused Martin's illness or exactly what it was .

A post-mortem carried out by Dr George, a specialist registrar at Blackburn Royal Infirmary, gave the medical cause of death as micro-modular sclerosis.

He said the cause of the sclerosis had not been clearly established.

"The cause of death related to the liver but it is difficult to know precisely what actually led to death," said Dr George.

Recording a verdict of natural causes, coroner Michael Singleton said that Martin had effectively been ill all his life.

"It seems to me that Martin was dealt a fairly poor hand and it is a tragedy that his life was cut short, whatever problems he might have had," added Mr Singleton.