Doctors told an inquest a disease that killed a 40-year-old Great Yarmouth woman was rare and they had never come across it before.

Yesterday's Norwich inquest heard Deborah Hall, from Southampton Place, died at the James Paget University Hospital in Gorleston on July 25 last year.

Pathologist Dr Hasan Ali said Miss Hall died from invasive pulmonary aspergillosis and multi-system organ failure following treatment for a chronic bone infection, osteomyelitis.

Mr Chukwuemeka Nnene, who treated Miss Hall at the hospital, said he had never come across aspergillosis – an infection or allergic response due to the aspergillus fungus – before, and that it had grown in Miss Hall's lungs.

The inquest heard the disease was present in the air and most people breathed it in without any effect, but for a small number of people it sat in their lungs and became aggressive.

Dr Margaret Wright, who treated Miss Hall in the intensive care unit, said: 'We had not seen aspergillosis in a fit patient before, and we were very taken aback. The only case of aspergillosis and osteomyelitis being related that we came across was in Pakistan.

'We have talked about Debbie a lot since she was with us and did a lot of reading about the illness... We are very grateful for Dr Ali's report which might help us in the future.'

Norfolk coroner William Armstrong recorded a narrative verdict that Miss Hall died from a previously undiagnosed lung infection and multi-system organ failure following treatment for osteomyelitis.

david.bale2@archant.co.uk