A 16 year old was found dead from an overdose of caffeine in South Carolina state of US. The student collapsed once before in his class at high school in the last month. In a news conference, Richland County coroner, Gary Watts said the boy, Davis Allen Cripe died of a caffeine induced heart attack which caused arrhythmia.
When a person experiences arrhythmia, also known as abnormal heart rhythm, the heart will not be able to pump enough blood to the body. This leads to lack of blood supply to the heart, brain and other organs. The teen consumed heavy caffeine drinks that included, a cafe latte from McDonald’s, large Diet Mountain Dew and an energy drink within two hours. This led to his collapse in the classroom at his class in Spring Hill High School on April 26.
Cripe, collapsed at 2:30 P.M., and was pronounced dead at 3:40 P.M. The autopsy showed no heart conditions and was healthy. The doctors said this condition might have been triggered by caffeine overdose as no drugs or alcohol were found in blood.
Watts said, “This was not an overdose. We lost Davis from a totally legal substance. Our purpose here today is to let people know, especially our young kids in school, that these drinks can be dangerous, and be very careful with how you use them.”
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends adolescents in between ages 12 to 18 should not consume more than 100 milligrams of caffeine per day, while adults can consume 400 ml of caffeine. According to reports, 73 percent of adolescents and children consume caffeine every day.
