A SEVEN-week-old baby with a rare heart condition died after a lengthy battle with a chest infection, an inquest was told.

Rayyaan Hussain was taken ill about three weeks before his death earlier this year.

Worcestershire coroner Geraint Williams said Rayyann’s parents, of Liverpool Road, Ronkswood, Worcester, initially took him to a doctor complaining of a chest infection.

“He was prescribed antibiotics and his condition improved,” said Mr Williams.

However, Rayyaan’s condition deteriorated about two weeks later.

Mr Williams said: “He was bringing up mucus and, although the complaint was not as severe as the initial chest complaint, his parents took him to see the GP on Friday, May 1 but that didn’t happen because of the bank holiday so the following week on Tuesday, May 5 an appointment was made to see the doctor.”

Mr Williams said the doctor made a “mixed diagnosis” but was reluctant to prescribe a further course of antibiotics. He was concerned Rayyaan would become tolerant to the medicine and, therefore, his immune system would not develop.

Mr Williams said: “He did prescribe it but advised to use it only if Rayyaan’s condition worsened.

“Later that evening his parents gave him some antibiotics. He became yellow in the face and pale.”

Mr Williams said Rayyaan then vomited bringing up the antibiotics in the early hours of Wednesday, May 6 and was in and out of sleep. Then, at 3am, Rayyaan took a turn for the worse so his mum called the out-of-hours service who advised her to take her baby to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.

While there Rayyaan became unresponsive and staff were unable to revive him, said Mr Williams. Rayyaan died at 5.25am.

Post mortem tests revealed Rayyaan’s cause of death was endocardial fibroelastosis – a rare disorder which causes the muscular lining of the heart chambers to thicken.

A verdict of death by natural causes was recorded.

After the hearing, the family declined to comment.