A BRAIN tumour that went completely undetected before claiming the life of a 39-year-old woman could have been present since she was a child, an inquest has heard.

A BRAIN tumour that went completely undetected before claiming the life of a 39-year-old woman could have been present since she was a child, an inquest has heard.

Julie Creasey, of Wickham Skeith, died in Addenbrooke's Hospital in May just weeks after having a hysterectomy.

During an inquest into her death yesterday, David Morris, coroner for south and west Cambridgeshire, heard how the operation and a history of genealogical problems could have caused the tumour to grow and manifest itself after years of lying hidden.

In the five years leading to her death, Mrs Creasey made numerous trips to her GP, Anna Fenning, complaining of various ailments including headaches, nausea, poor sleep and depression - for which she was prescribed the anti-depressant citalopram.

In November 2005, Mrs Creasey once again visited Dr Fenning at the Mendlesham Health Centre, complaining of intermittent headaches, which got worse with exercise. Dr Fenning carried out various neurological examinations and tests, but did not discover anything that led her to think a referral or further tests were necessary.

“The description of headaches in relation to exercise did concern me, and I told Julie if it did not get any better then to come back,” said Dr Fenning.

But Mrs Creasey did not return to the health centre until March this year, when she said she was suffering from anxiety, depression, and panic attacks, possibly brought on due to worrying about the hysterectomy that was scheduled to take place in Ipswich the following week.

During the inquest, held at Shire Hall in Cambridge, Andrew Dean, consultant neurological pathologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital, said a post mortem into Mrs Creasey's death revealed a tumour in her left frontal lobe.

He said: “A gynaecological disturbance could have been a factor and caused the tumour to grow faster,” he said, agreeing that Mrs Creasey could have had the tumour from an “early age”, but it grew so slowly there were no symptoms.

Dr Morris returned a verdict of death by natural causes.