Off Topic ----Dr Steve/Pharmacist Steve

[curiousforever]

One of my cousins 4times removed (some distance both related - and distance - and age) was found dead.

I know he had diabetes, they aren't sure about suicide - except that is the first I heard it was - or 'natural' causes. How natural could they be if he was about 23 or 24? Plus, if he had to inject insulin (not sure if he was at that stage - or if he was actually type 1 diabetes to begin with for that matter) it wouldn't have actually been that hard to make a suicide look like a 'natural' death would it?

And on the flip side, it would be kind of hard to prove it was natural causes that it wasn't actually suicide right? Barring any note, diary, information that we don't have - and may never have.

And of course it could have been something undiagnosed as of yet also right?

Thanks for any thoughts
It's confusing.

[Mark N]

Sorry to hear of his death. A big part about whether it was suicide or not will be based on his tox-report. It will show if he injected too much insulin or if there was some other med responsible. How long ago was his diabetes diagnosed? Was he diagnosed with it as a child and has been dealing with it for years or has it just been recently discovered?

[mrsdoubtfyre]

dies suddenly, one should consider a QT issue. This is inherited or acquired while using certain drugs. When the heart rhythm changes, it can stop entirely.

But with a diabetic a sudden death can happen anytime. 24 is young.
A friend of mine just died in his sleep...he was 47, type I diabetic.

Diabetics lose magnesium thru the urine and this makes for lowered serum magnesium levels. If dehydration occurs, and lowers it further it can cause heart beat irregularities and then death if not caught.
http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic1983.htm
Drug-induced QT prolongation may also increase the risk of ventricular tachyarrhythmias (eg, torsade de pointes) and sudden cardiac death. The ionic mechanism is similar to that observed in congenital LQTS, ie, mainly intrinsic blockade of cardiac potassium efflux. In addition to the medications that potentially can prolong the QT interval, several other factors play a role in this phenomenon. Important risk factors for drug-induced QT prolongation are female sex, electrolyte disturbances (hypokalemia and hypomagnesemia), structural heart disease, and bradycardia. Some have also suggested that affected individuals have mutations that affect cardiac ion channels, altering repolarization reserve.

I am sorry for your loss.

If you have this genetic trait in your family, you need to be aware of it. I have a post on QT and drugs at Neuro Talk in the Chronic Pain Useful Websites....I cannot link it for you because this site blocks NT links.
Most of the time QT issues are triggered by drug combinations, and or dehydration in a genetically prone individual.

One would have to inject alot of insulin to go into a coma...but brittle diabetics do have problems so the diabetes is a factor. Poor control can lead to acidosis as well.

[Pharmacist.steve]

Diabetics can have a cardiocascular system that is decades older that they are by the calendar. especially if they have not did much to control their blood sugar.

I had a employee/friend diabetic daughter die - in her sleep- in her early teens. Autopsy proved nothing. There has been reports of deaths in young of a vessel going into a spasm/contraction severe enough to block blood flow and death ... of course on autopsy... nothing shows because the vessel returned to "normal" after the patient dies.

I also had a high school classmate that died in 30's and they said her cardiovascular system was like a 80 y/o...

The real reason .. .may never be known

[BrokenBladder]

CF,
I'm truly sorry for your loss. My nephew has diabetes and came down with it as a juvenile. I've seen many health crisis issues with him as a direct result of insulin problems. Just yesterday his doctor changed his insulin and within 6 hours he was slurring his words and in bad shape. Thankfully he's fine now.
Again I'm sorry for your loss.