Pregnant New Zealand woman dies after drinking 3 litres of soft drink a day
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<p>A pregnant woman who drank an excessive amount of Coca-Cola and energy drinks has passed away, and according to recent coroner reports, this caffeine consumption may have contributed to her death.</p>
<p>Amy Louise Thorpe died of an epileptic seizure at her home on December 4, 2018.</p>
<p>According to findings released by coroner David Robinson, Thorpe, who was 15 weeks pregnant at the time of her death, had a history of epilepsy and other conditions.</p>
<p>Since she was pregnant, her seizures had increased in frequency to about once a week.</p>
<p>She was also consuming two litres of Coca-Cola and between 500mls to one litre of energy drinks per day.</p>
<p>Thorpe’s partner said that she was “addicted” to soft drink and a friend told police in a statement after her death that she consumed “more energy drinks in a day than people have coffee”.</p>
<p>A month before her death, Thorpe was referred to a neurologist, Graeme Hammond-Tooke, who recommended she change her epilepsy medication.</p>
<p>However, according to the coronial inquest, Thorpe was reluctant to change medication or undergo testing.</p>
<p>Associate Professor Hammond Took provided advice for the coroner’s report, saying that it was possible that her excessive caffeinated drink intake had contributed to her death.</p>
<p>“In the case of Ms Thorpe, I think it is possible that excessive caffeine contributed to poor seizure control,” he told<span> </span><em>The Sun</em>.</p>
<p>“While modest intake of caffeine contained in drinks is not likely to affect seizure control, large amounts probably do increase seizures, and may have other adverse effects on health.”</p>
<p>Robinson said that making Thorpe’s case public should serve to raise awareness of the consequences of excessive caffeine use, especially for people who had epilepsy.</p>
<p><em>Hero photo credits:<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=12337029" target="_blank"> Otago Daily Times</a></em></p>
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