A RETIRED cleaner died after suffering a rare reaction to drugs while at Salisbury District Hospital, an inquest heard.

Alan Weeks, 46, suffered from a number of illnesses including diabetes, gout, kidney problems and sleep apnoea – a condition where the airway closes during sleep.

He was admitted into hospital in January 2015 suffering from a swollen left ankle and medics were left baffled in March 2015 when his condition started to rapidly deteriorate, believing he was suffering from an infection. However, after being successfully resuscitated from cardiac arrest Mr Weeks was diagnosed as having DRESS syndrome – a rare allergic reaction to drugs.

Mr Weeks was on a number of drugs and the only way to identify which ones caused the reaction was to withdraw all non-critical medicines.

Doctors were able to control the condition after his drugs were withdrawn and the rashes that covered his body as a result of the DRESS began to fade.

Yet due to lack of oxygen following the heart attack he was never able to regain brain function and died of a second cardiac arrest on June 11 last year.

Doctors said DRESS was incredibly rare with only three recorded incidents at the hospital in seven years and it could appear at any time, even if the drug had not previously caused an allergic reaction.

With the amount of drugs Mr Weeks was taking it was impossible to know exactly which one caused the reaction.

The inquest was heard by a jury because Mr Weeks had not been able to make decisions for himself before his death. It took them a little over 45 minutes to record a conclusion of misadventure – meaning his death was caused by the giving of drugs although doctors would have no idea it would cause an allergic reaction