A great-grandmother who survived breast cancer died after suffering a rare allergic reaction after a hearing aid fitting.

Doctors at Bradford Royal Infirmary could not save Mary Elizabeth Hibbitt, 83, after she contracted an infection through cracks in her skin, an inquest in Bradford heard yesterday.

Mrs Hibbitt, of Tyersal Garth, Tyersal, Bradford, who had beaten breast cancer 14 years previously, died on March 1 from pneumonia caused by the initial skin complaint.

Coroner James Turnbull described as “amazing and extremely unlucky” the chances of her reacting so badly to the material.

Mrs Hibbitt’s ordeal started when she visited an audiologist at BRI in January. Less than two days after having the hearing aid fitting, Mrs Hibbitt was suffering irritation to her ear and a painful rash, which spread down her neck and back.

Her daughter Valerie Wilson, 52, of New Street, Oakenshaw, Bradford, said: “Her face was just totally red raw and it had spread all down her neck and back.

“She hadn’t been out of her house for three weeks. It must have been the reaction.”

The doctor gave her anti-histamine medication to stop the allergy, but her face continued to swell and her skin kept itching and peeling.

Mrs Hibbitt, who had previously suffered a stroke, became lethargic and felt very poorly. But when she could not eat and was surviving on water and cold tea, Mrs Wilson phoned the doctor again.

It was decided that she was receiving “wonderful care” from her daughter at home, but a week later Mrs Hibbitt was admitted to hospital.

Mrs Wilson told the inquest a specialist at the hospital said she had eczema but a consultant said he was “90 per cent” sure she was suffering from cancer because an x-ray showed a shadow on her lung.

A post-mortem examination revealed that was not the case.

Giving evidence to the inquest yesterday, audiologist Mr Hamilton said it was incredibly rare for anyone to have such an allergic reaction to the silicon-based material, known as De-Tax Flexitive.

He said: “I have never, ever come across this and I have never heard anybody say they have had a reaction to it.”

Pathologist Faisal Ali, who carried out the post-mortem, told the court that the allergic skin rash was a “contributing factor” to the pneumonia which killed Mrs Hibbitt.

Bradford’s assistant deputy coroner, James Turnbull, said: “Either it is amazing or an indication that Mrs Hibbitt was extremely unlucky, because there must have been thousands and thousands and thousands of patients who have had hearing aids made using this material.

“I am perfectly satisfied that Mrs Hibbitt would not have died if she had not reacted, unexplainably, to the material that was used for the mould for her hearing aid.”

Speaking to the T&A yesterday, Mrs Wilson, a married-mother-of-one, paid tribute to her mother, describing her as a “true lady”.

She said: “She had overcome cancer 14 and a half years ago and she never complained about it.

“She didn’t need to die like that.”

The coroner recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.