THE mysterious Sudden AdultDeath Syndrome was give as the cause of death for 21-year-old MatthewBrown, from Windermere.

A coroner's inquest into thedeath of the former Lakes School pupil heard consultant pathologistMargaret Stewart explain that her post mortem examination and tests foundno satisfactory explanation for Mr Brown's death.

Therewas no sign of trauma, no trace of any foreign substance which couldaccount for the death and no evidence of any virus which might have killedhim.

Mrs Stewart said: "I am left with the fact that hedied of acute heart failure, the underlying cause of which I have beenunable to identify after extensive examination and I have given the causeof death as Sudden Adult Death Syndrome."

Mrs Stewart,consultant pathologist at Westmorland General Hospital and Royal LancasterInfirmary, said no reason could be found for around four per cent ofsudden deaths in adults and these were attributed to the syndrome which,she said, was analogous to cot deaths in infants.

"Itwas clear that there was nothing unnatural about the death," said SouthLakes coroner Cyril Prickett, "I will record a verdict of death by naturalcauses."