Dwarfism treatment gave woman CJD

Great Ormond Street specialists diagnosed Carolyn with dwarfism

A Cornish woman diagnosed with dwarfism contracted the rare brain disease CJD after receiving growth hormone treatment, an inquest heard.

Over the course of a decade Carolyn Trevorrow, of Carbis Bay in St Ives, was treated with the human hormones which helped her grow to 4ft 11in by the age of 22, the inquest in Truro was told.

Two years after the treatment stopped in 1983, her parents, Terry and Ann Trevorrow, read about possible links with the degenerative brain condition Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

In a statement, Mr Trevorrow said his daughter was first admitted to hospital shortly after her birth in 1961 when she measured only 14 inches, compared to an average 22 inches.

Three years later, specialists at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London found that Carolyn was mentally retarded and diagnosed her with dwarfism caused by an underactive growth gland.

The loss of our daughter has been devastating, but the initial treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital saved her life Terry and Ann Trevorrow

Carolyn was put on the waiting list for growth hormone treatment sourced from human glands - which she underwent between 1973 and 1983.

But in 2001 her parents noticed Carolyn was having problems with her balance and frequently fell over.

Experts at St Mary's Hospital, London, diagnosed Carolyn with possible treatment-induced CJD.

Carolyn was cared for at home by her parents while her condition worsened until she caught bronchial pneumonia and died in June 2003 at the age of 40.

Treatment banned

Dr David Hilton, consultant neuropathologist at Derriford Hospital, Plymouth, told the inquest that tests carried out on Carolyn's brain tissue proved she was suffering from CJD.

Assistant deputy coroner for west Cornwall, Peter Blackwell-Smyth, told the inquest: "I don't think there is any doubt that CJD was a contributory cause of death."

Recording a verdict of death by medical misadventure, Mr Blackwell-Smyth said human growth hormone treatment was banned in the UK in 1985.

After the inquest, family solicitor Bruce Henderson Smith said an investigation carried out after Carolyn's death found that legal action would not be possible.

A statement from the family said: "Mr and Mrs Trevorrow say that the loss of their daughter has been devastating but the initial treatment at Great Ormond Street Hospital saved her life, and the subsequent growth hormone treatment enabled her to live life to the full.

"When Carolyn was diagnosed as having CJD, the help and support they received from the local health team and the facilities provided by the social services were excellent."