BACOLOD – A 3-year-old girl in Bacolod City died early this month after she allegedly had excessive intake of caffeine.
On the girl’s death certificate, cardiac arrhythmia possibly due to caffeine toxicity was indicated as the cause of death of Jesryl Barrido.
Cardiac arrhythmia is a condition where a patient suffers from irregular heartbeat.
The girl’s mother, Jennifer Rose Barrido, said her child did not show signs of being sick.
She admitted, however, that the girl would take a few sips from her and her father's coffee cups when they weren't looking.
"We don't let her drink coffee but there are times when she sips from our cup when we are not looking. It was last December when her hands started shaking," she said.
Dr. Grace Tan of the Bacolod City Health Office said they cannot single out caffeine overdose as the cause of the child’s death since the parents refused to have the body autopsied.
But they indicated caffeine toxicity as the possible cause of death based on the statement given by the child's parents.
"...We do not have a definite diagnosis so we just consider and highly consider this [caffeine toxicity] possibility," Tan said.
Tan warned parents not to allow children to take coffee because their bodies may not be able to tolerate the effects of caffeine, which is a stimulant. —report from Barbara Mijares, ABS-CBN Iloilo
source: www.abs-cbnnews.com
