21-year-old woman died of 'Sudden Adult Death Syndrome' (From Southend Standard)

21-year-old woman died of 'Sudden Adult Death Syndrome'

12:33pm Friday 18th January 2013 in News

A TWENTY-ONE-YEAR-OLD woman was found dead in her bed with no apparent cause, an inquest heard.

Funda Ndlwana suffered from Sudden Adult Death Syndrome (SAD) and simply failed to wake up.

The fashion journalism student was found by her grandmother and uncle at her home in Fairfax Drive, Westcliff, that morning.

Coroner Yvonne Blake said Funda had cooked dinner for the family the previous night and had then sat at the computer to do her college work.

She said: "As usual she came to her grandmother's room and said she had finished her work. That was the last time her grandmother saw her alive."

Her grandmother became concerned at about 8am the following morning when heard no movement coming from Funda's room.

When she found her there was no movement in Funda's chest so she called to the girl's uncle.

They turned her onto her back when they discovered she had died. Police were called to the scene on the morning of November 8, 2010 and noted nothing appeared to be suspicious.

Mrs Blake said that Funda's body appeared to be normal and her heart was then examined at the specialist Brompton Hospital.

She said: "That has unearthed no obvious cause for Miss Ndlwana's sudden and sad death." The experts felt the death should be classified as SAD, an all encompassing term which includes irregularities of the heart.

The inquest heard Funda had been born in South Africa and come to the UK when she was 11.

Her GP revealed she had no chronic medical problems, was not on regular medication and had no psychological problems.

She had attended the surgery in West Road, Westcliff, before suffering from irregular periods (menstruation) but blood tests revealed nothing. A verdict of natural causes was recorded.