A 32-year-old woman from Norwich who was the first patient in Norfolk to receive a new treatment for sickle cell disease has died following medical complications, an inquest has heard. Veronique Mwembo died on 23 January at Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital, having lived with the inherited condition since childhood.

The coroner said a provisional cause of death was acute cardiac failure due to foreign material pulmonary embolism and intravascular foreign body reaction, with sickle cell disease listed as a contributing condition. Further details will be examined at a full hearing scheduled for August.

Mwembo became the first patient in the county to receive the intravenous antibody therapy crizanlizumab, the first new treatment for sickle cell disease in 20 years, around three years before her death. At the time, she said she hoped the treatment would stabilise her condition and reduce her reliance on pain relief medication.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder affecting haemoglobin in red blood cells, causing severe pain and complications including shortness of breath, strokes and vision problems. A fundraising page has been set up to support Mwembo’s funeral costs and her young son.