THE family of a teenager who died suddenly while playing computer games have been urged to have a medical check-up after an inquest heard he probably died from a heart condition.

Luke Maxwell, 15, was found dead by his father, James Maxwell, on the morning of June 1, despite appearing happy and healthy only hours before.

His parents had left him in his bedroom playing on computer games when they went to bed, but when they went in his room the next day, they found him slumped on his bed, still wearing his headphones.

Mr Maxwell, who at 39 has a pacemaker fitted, immediately suspected heart problems.

He said when Luke was only two he collapsed and stopped breathing, and only started again when the ambulance arrived.

And yesterday, Teesside Coroner’s Court heard that the King’s Academy student from Middlesbrough did have some kind of heart complaint.

Consultant pathologist Dr David Scoones said there was an accumulation of blood in some of Luke’s organs, which led him to believe that his heart had not pumped properly.

And he said there was increased fatty infiltration into parts of his heart, which was nothing to do with diet or weight, but could have caused a heart block.

However, he said it was rare, although not unheard of, for a heart block to lead to sudden death.

But Dr Scoones said there were many heart conditions that Luke could have suffered from that cannot be detected after death, and this may have been the case with Luke.

He said Luke’s heart had been sent to a specialist heart pathologist at Harefield Hospital in Middlesex in a bid to find out the exact cause of death.

“I’m afraid it’s all very uncertain,” he said.

“It appears to me that death was likely to have been caused by cardiac problems.

“I found no evidence to suggest that anything other than a natural process caused his death.”

He recommended other members of Luke’s family be checked out by doctors in case they were also suffering from heart defects unknown to them.

Coroner Michael Sheffield recorded a verdict that Luke died of natural causes.

He said: “It’s a very sad case that Luke should die at such a young age.”

Afterwards, Luke’s mother, Maureen Maxwell, of The Meadows, Coulby Newham, Middlesbrough, said she was concerned for other members of her family.

She said: “It’s a numb feeling. I don’t know how I feel. We all need to be checked now.”

She told last week how their lives had been turned upside down since Luke’s death.

Mrs Maxwell said: “Life has been terrible since he died. He was boisterous – a proper boy.

“He was very loving and he had a good sense of humour.

I can still hear him giggling now. Life is not the same.”