26-year-old’s death ‘shows danger of binge drinking’
Dr Margot Bolster yesterday said that even a weekend of heavy drinking can cause fatty changes to the liver which increases the risk of sudden death.
She was speaking during an inquest into the death of a 26-year-old recluse who died of severe liver disease after drinking up to 12 cans of alcohol every day for four years.
Samuel Lundy, from Annalee Grove, Mayfield, was found dead in the front garden of a house in nearby Ballinderry Park on November 16, 2010.
A postmortem examination found he had severe fatty accumulations on his liver — the toxic effect of alcohol on the vital organ.
A viral or auto-immune cause for the disease was ruled out and the inquest linked the condition directly to Mr Lundy’s vast consumption of alcohol in the years before his death.
It caused a sudden cardiac arrhythmia and resulted in his death.
Cork’s city coroner, Dr Myra Cullinane, recorded a verdict of misadventure and said the tragic case highlighted the dangers of sustained heavy drinking, even in someone so young.
“It is quite frightening the amount of damage one can do to one’s liver within such a short space of time when drinking heavily,” she said.
Dr Bolster agreed and said even a weekend drinking binge can result in fatty deposits on the liver, increasing the risk of sudden death. The risk rises after prolonged periods of sustained heavy drinking, she said.
Any consumption of alcohol above the recommended levels of 21 units per week for men, and 12-14 units per week for women, even for a few months, can have fatal results, she said. But the fatty changes, the first stage of liver disease, are reversible, once consumption of alcohol stops. The second stage of liver disease, cirrhosis, is irreversible, she said.
Dr Cullinane heard Mr Lundy was smoking hash at the age of 14, and was expelled from school aged 15.
By the time he was 22, he was a recluse, living in the front room of the house. He started drinking up to 12 cans of alcohol a day.
Following the death of her mother, Ms Lundy moved into her house, leaving her son in Annalee Grove.
A few days before his death, she noticed his skin was yellow. She checked the internet and saw that it probably meant he had liver disease but said she didn’t know how serious it was.
On November 16, she and her partner, Stephen Lawlor, decided to force Mr Lundy to get medical help. They arrived at the house to find the front door unlocked, and Samuel missing.
When they raised the alarm, gardaí discovered that a body which had been found earlier in Ballinderry Park was that of Mr Lundy.
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