Cause of widower's death is to remain a mystery

THE cause of death of a Neath widower will remain a mystery.

An inquest into the death of 65-year-old Thomas James Morgan heard there was no obvious cause.

The pathologist who carried out a post mortem said there was no evidence the death was unnatural, but he could only speculate as to what caused it.

Mr Morgan was found face-down on the floor of his home in Bryn Nedd, Cimla, on February 20 this year.

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The inquest in Port Talbot heard Mr Morgan underwent surgery to remove his pituitary gland because of a benign tumour in 1996.

He also suffered from a chronic chest condition and had suffered a stroke in 2007.

Morriston Hospital consultant pathologist Ciaran O'Brien said the cause of death was not immediately apparent.

But he added: "Patients who have had pituitary removal require regular replacement therapy of the hormones that are missing.

"Perhaps the most important is cortisone to replace the function of the adrenal.

"The level needs to be tailored to however ill they are.

"I can speculate that potentially Mr Morgan developed a chest infection and that for some reason he may have been unable to replace his cortisone levels and could have succumbed to adrenal failure.

"It fits in with the facts that are available."

Coroner Philip Rogers asked him whether the death was due to natural causes.

Dr O'Brien said: "There is no evidence of unnatural cause so by exclusion, yes."

Family members said they believed he had been on the same level of hydrocortisone since his operation.

Stepdaughter Alison Thomas told the coroner Mr Morgan had not been feeling well the week before he died.

Mr Rogers said: "The verdict is death from natural causes rather than an open verdict, which isn't very satisfactory and suggests there are unknown causes.

"There's nothing to that here.

"The verdict is one of natural causes, albeit unascertained natural causes."