Report: Teen girl dies after not using toilet for eight weeks due to phobia

CORNWALL -- A 16-year-old British girl who suffered from a phobia of toilets died of a heart attack caused by not defecating for eight weeks, the Independent reports. 

The girl, Emily Titterington, suffered from a condition known as "stool withholding," the Independent reports, sometimes frequent in children and young adults. The girl had a "massive extension of the large bowel," compressing her chest and displacing her organs.

The Independent reports the girl could have been saved with appropriate medical treatment. Titterington had seen a doctor before her death, and she was prescribed laxatives.  However, the doctor apparently did not notice abdominal swelling, as the teen only complained of pain between the shoulder blades.

Titterington had mild autism and suffered bowl problems for a majority of her life. Stool withholding is often common with young children, and is caused by a variety of different factors.

Though the death occurred in February 2013, an inquest is ongoing, the Independent reported.