A healthy 22-year-old woman collapsed and died at a local gym after lifting too much weight and overexerting herself, a local official said.
Ariatna Lizeth Mata Esparza, of Torreón, Mexico, suddenly fell to the ground while doing barbell squats at a local gym earlier this month.
Paramedics rushed to the scene but were unable to revive her and the woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
A spokesman for the Attorney General’s Office said the autopsy determined the woman was suffering from anoxemia (a condition in which there is too little oxygen in the blood), which could have been caused by overexertion.
The school teacher was also found to have suffered a stroke and blood clots.
Ariatna Lizeth Mata Esparza, 22, of Torreon, Mexico, died after suffering a medical emergency while at her local gym. Authorities said it may have been caused by overexertion.
Mrs. Esparza was a kindergarten teacher in the city.
It is not known how much weight Ms Esparza was lifting, but experts suggest the average woman can squat around 154 pounds per rep.
Anoxia is not uncommon, doctors say, and can be caused by exercising at high altitudes, such as in Torreón, which is 3,600 feet above sea level.
For comparison, New York City is only 33 feet above sea level, while Los Angeles is 305 feet above sea level.
Doctors say that when people exercise at high altitudes, they use more oxygen than they absorb, leading to a drop in oxygen levels in the body and cell death.
This causes an increase in blood pressure which can cause a blood vessel to burst and lead to bleeding in the brain.
If the deficiency is chronic, it can also cause weakening of blood vessels, increasing the risk of brain hemorrhage.
Anoxemia can also increase the risk of blood clots by increasing levels of inflammatory molecules in the blood.
People who are accustomed to higher altitudes are usually protected against this condition because their body produces more hemoglobin to compensate, allowing their blood to carry more oxygen.
It was not clear whether Ms. Esparza suffered from any underlying illness, although the local report said she had no heart problems.
Ms. Esparza is pictured above at a tribute.
He was working out at his local EnerGym when the incident occurred (pictured above)
It had previously been suggested locally that this was the main factor behind his death.
Anoxemia causes symptoms including shortness of breath, rapid breathing, cyanosis (the skin turns blue or purple), and increased heart rate.
In severe cases, it can be fatal if the lack of oxygen in the blood causes brain damage or organ failure.
Ms. Esparza was going to become a kindergarten teacher and was due to receive her test results that same day.
She was also an animal lover and regularly shared pictures online of dogs that were available for adoption.
Her last social media post read, according to Jam Press: ‘It makes me laugh when people say ‘don’t humanize your dog’, when he’s the one humanizing me.’
Her mother, Selene Esparza, wrote on social media: ‘My princess, my little girl, you have gone and left us with empty souls and broken hearts.
‘Fly high, my love, very high.
‘Here on earth, you were already a light that guided those who crossed your path, and now you are a light that illuminates the angels.
-I love you, my princess.