Acne drug warning over DVT blood clot that killed teenage cheerleader

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Acne drug warning over DVT blood clot that killed teenage cheerleader

By Daily Mail ReporterLast updated at 12:54 PM on 27th April 2011

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Tragedy: Charlotte Porter had visited her GP two weeks before her death complaining of a lumpy leg

The family of a 17-year-old whose death may have been linked to acne medication have urged others to be aware of the risks of the drug.

Charlotte Porter died from deep vein thrombosis after her left leg started to swell up and turn purple.

She first noticed the problem during school lessons, and died hours later at hospital as she waited for blood test results.

The coroner's court at Maidstone, Kent, also heard she had been prescribed Dianette for acne, which also acts as a contraceptive pill.

Like other combined pills it carried an increased risk of blood clots, and may have been a factor in her death.

Charlotte sent text messages to her mother Beverly, 47, on March 29, complaining about pain and swelling from her hip to her ankle.

Mrs Porter, from Maidstone, took her daughter to casualty at Maidstone Hospital that afternoon.

The A-level student, who was also an active member of the school cheerleading team, was 'joking and laughing' minutes before suddenly collapsing unconscious in a hospital corridor in front of her friends and family.

Despite two hours of treatment by doctors she died at 10pm from a pulmonary embolism caused by DVT that evening, just hours after the swelling began.

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An inquest found she had died from natural causes, but that she had probably had undiagnosed DVT when she visited her GP two weeks before her death on March 29, 2010, complaining of a lumpy left leg.

Her GP gave evidence that she had not been displaying symptoms of DVT and prescribed an anti-inflammatory drug, but independent expert, Dr Nigel Langford, said that it was likely a clot of some form was present.

Combined Pills such as Dianette are known to carry increased risks of blood clots

DVT blood clots can occur when circulation slows during long periods of inactivity.But Charlotte's mother, Beverly Porter, said: 'The doctors said to us it was very, very rare to happen to someone so young.

`If she was 71 years old, not 17, then you would expect that sort of thing. She was full of life and always on the go.'

She added: 'It goes without saying that Charlotte's death has devastated my family and me.

'We would urge all parents of young girls prescribed with Dianette to be aware of the risks associated with it, mainly the risk of DVT.'

Charlotte died in Maidstone Hospital, Kent, just hours after complaining of an aching legRead more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1381048/Dianette-Teenager-girl-dies-DVT-taking-acne-drug.html#ixzz1Kj5nuGvb