Woman's death caused by long use of steroids
Oorjuswattee Rucktooa, who lived in Bakewell Street, Penkhull, died at the Royal Darwin Hospital in the Northern Territory of Australia on April 12, 2008.
She was visiting her brother as part of an open-ended tour of Australia with her 27-year-old son.
An inquest at North Staffordshire Coroner's Court heard Mrs Rucktooa had suddenly become very weak and confused, and started to shout, which was out of character.
She was taken to the Royal Darwin Hospital within a few hours after suffering a heart attack.
Mrs Rucktooa, originally born in Goodlands, Mauritius in 1951, moved to the UK in 1972.
She and her husband, Alnandutt Rucktooa, were both nurses, and she worked at the University Hospital of North Staffordshire until retiring in 2005.
In 1995 she was diagnosed with lung fibrosis and was receiving long-term treatment of immunosuppressive drugs which prevent activity of the immune system.
Her husband said he became aware of his wife's illness after a phone call from his son.
He said: "My son was deeply shocked at the suddenness of this.
"He said she had been unwell a week before after eating a lasagne on a train journey.
"She had suffered abdominal pain, sickness and diarrhoea.
"But she didn't receive medical attention because it eased."
A report by Celia Kemp, deputy coroner for the Royal Darwin Hospital, stated she decided not to hold an inquest into Mrs Rucktooa's death, which is allowed there.
The autopsy revealed Mrs Rucktooa died from a condition which meant her blood didn't clot as it should.
She also had a severe chronic, progressive lung disease, for which she was taking steroids.
Deputy coroner Anthony Curzon recorded the cause of death as a result of the steroid drugs Mrs Rucktooa was taking.
He said: "Steroids have been well known for many years to cause a lot of problems.
"Mrs Rucktooa died as a result of a diagnosed side effect of steroid drugs."
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