Mysterious Death: What is Lupus that 'killed' Sunanda Pushkar?

New

, Jan 20: A panel of doctors, who conducted autopsy on

, reportedly claimed that overdose of anti-depression drug might have killed the wife of Union Minister

.

According to reports, Mrs Tharoor was suffering from suffering from stomach tuberculosis and Lupus. Doctors at All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) earlier on Saturday claimed that Mrs Pushkar died of "sudden, unnatural death". Doctors also informed that they found several injury marks on her body. However, they declared that those injuries did not lead Sunanda to death.

Meanwhile, sources informed that doctors found traces of Alprazolam, an anti-depressant, in her blood. Presence of the drug in Mrs Tharoor's body indicated that she died of an overdose of some strong medicine or sedative. No trace of alcohol in her blood was found.

Meanwhile, TP Sreenivasan, a former ambassador and Mr Tharoor's close friend, was quoted as saying, "Shashi told me in February about Sunanda's disease. He told me this when I asked why Sunanda did not come to Kerala for some time."

"In fact, when he told me she had lupus, I too told him about the two persons who had this ailment. One of them, a niece of mine, died of this when she was just 23 and another friend continued to live with this problem for more than 35 years. I told him this to say that the disease need not be fatal for everyone," he added.

What is Lupus?

Lupus is an auto-immune disorder which can lead to rashes or marks. It can be a very trying disease to have. People suffering from the systemic form of the disease are mostly fatigued, depressed and in pain. It can also have effects on the heart and blood vessels. The worst part of it is that there is no ‘cure' for the disease. The person has to just accept the condition and live life on painkillers and steroids.

Sunanda Pushkar's mysterious death:

Mrs Tharoor was found dead inside a hotel in Delhi. Mr Tharoor, who returned from AICC meeting on Friday, Jan 17, found her lying on bed. A day later she was cremated in the national capital.

Delhi Police questioned Mr Tharoor and his associates in connection with Mrs Tharoor's sudden death. Mr Tharoor, the minister of state for Human Resource Development, recorded his statement on Sunday before the magistrate investigating his wife's death.

News of Mrs Tharoor's death hit the country a day later of a Twitter spat in which she accused a Pakistani journalist Mehr Tarar of stalking her husband. However, the couple issued a joint statement saying they were "happily married".

OneIndia News