What caused his death?
Cardiomyopathy (heart failure). Jeremy’s heart valves were scarred by a childhood bout with rheumatic fever. They were further damaged by the toxic buildup of the medication used to treat his bipolar disorder, and by his heavy smoking. Jeremy was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy in early 1995. Told he needed a heart transplant, Jeremy replied, “That’s far too dramatic, even for me!” The transplant didn’t occur because doctors feared that the anti-rejection drugs Jeremy would have needed the rest of his life would counteract the medications used to treat his bipolar disorder. Ironically, not long after Jeremy died, newspapers and medical journals began reporting on a new surgical technique which eliminates the need for heart transplants in some cardiomyopathy cases. And, now some heart failure patients are living with implantable artificial hearts.
