A 41-year-old Forest of Dean woman became a victim of the rare Sudden Adult Death Syndrome, a Gloucester inquest was told.

Kay Harris, 41, or Morgans Way, Ruspidge, was found dead in her bed on January 30 by her partner, Rod Wheatstone. 

The inquest heard that Ms Harris had felt ill that day, complaining of pains in her left arm. 

Mr Wheatstone said that this was unusual, although she often had pains in her right arm. 

She had fought with hypertensive disease since 1991 and had suffered an aneurism in 1999, he said. 

However, pathologist Dr Gillian Farmer said that these problems were unconnected to what medical science knows of SADS – Sudden Adult Death Syndrome. 

“It was simply bad luck”, she said.  “In these rare cases the wiring in the heart simply goes wrong and there is no discernible cause. “

According to support group Cardiac Risk in the Young (CRY) SADS is estimated to kill up to 450 people a year. 

Any family that has lost someone under 35 is entitled to screening by law, although Ms Harris fell outside this age group. 

Verdict: Natural causes.