AN INQUEST into the death of a diabetic man has not been able to determine how he died.

Duncan Thomas Moore, from Great Lumley, near Chester-le-Street, died on August 2, last year.

An inquest into the death of the 38-year-old heard that he had been diagnosed with diabetes at the age of five and had suffered from fits from childhood, being diagnosed with epilepsy shortly before his death.

Crook Coroner’s Court heard he was found attached to an insulin pump, which he used to manage his diabetes.

Dr Paul Barrett, who carried out the post-mortem examination, said the cause of death could not be ascertained because he could not determine whether it was caused by an epileptic episode or from hypoglycaemia, caused by taking too much insulin.

He said: “It’s always with reluctance that I use that term because it sounds like it’s a failure of the pathological process, but we are limited.”

Coroner Andrew Tweddle delivered a narrative verdict. He said: “The precise mechanism of death cannot be determined on the balance of probabilities. It’s either sudden death in epilepsy or a hypoglycaemic event.”