Teenager, 16, died after protein shake ‘triggered rare genetic disease’ causing ‘irreversible’ brain damage
28 June 2023, 19:36
A coroner is calling for companies selling protein shakes to display a "life-saving" health warning after the death of a "kind and gentle" teenage boy.
Rohan Godhania, 16, from Ealing, West London died as a consequence of drinking a protein shake on 15 August 2020.
His father, Pupsha, had bought the drink for his son to help him build muscle as he was “quite skinny”, the inquest into his son’s death heard.
But three days after consuming the drink Rohan died at West Middlesex Hospital, as he suffered “irreversible brain damage”.
It is believed the spike in protein brought on from the drink triggered a rare genetic condition in the teenager called ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC) deficiency.
The disease prevented the breakdown of ammonia in Rohan’s bloodstream and subsequently it rose to lethal levels.
However the cause of death was never officially identified as OTC because Rohan’s organs were donated for transplanted before the post-mortem examination, the coroner’s court was told.
Coroner Tom Osborne said on Tuesday: “Concerning these protein drinks, my preliminary view about them is that I ought to write to one of the regulatory authorities that some sort of warning ought to be put on the packaging of these drinks because, although OTC is a rare condition, it can have harmful effects if someone drinks (one) and it causes a protein spike.”
Meanwhile Finbar O’Callaghan, a professor of paediatric neurology at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, said that if an ammonia test had been carried out when Rohan was first admitted to hospital it was ‘probable’ he would have survived.
Lawyers representing Rohan’s family have questioned if there had been missed opportunities to screen the teenager’s ammonia levels.
The professor labelled it a “missed opportunity” and agreed with the coroner’s call for what could be “potentially life-saving” intervention.
Rohan’s father Pupsha told the inquest of the drink: “I purchased it just to build up muscles.
“He was quite skinny. We thought that rather than just nagging him, if he built up muscles in his shoulders he would stand a bit taller.
“Rohan had only just turned 16. We imagined Rohan developing into a wonderful young man.
“Rohan had his entire life ahead of him, so many hopes and so many dreams.
“The loss reverberates out to so many people whose lives Rohan touched.
“This world is a darker place with the loss of such a kind and gentle soul.”
The inquest, which was scheduled to continue on Wednesday, has been postponed to allow the coroner to consider legal submissions before he delivers his conclusion.
