Editing Bruce Lee (section)

=== Possible causes of death ===
Lee's iconic status and untimely death fed many rumors and theories. These included murder involving the [[Triad (organized crime)|triads]] and a supposed curse on him and his family.<ref>{{harvnb|Bishop|2004|p=157}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3141681/what-killed-bruce-lee-triads-jealous-lover-ancient |title=What killed Bruce Lee – triads, a jealous lover, an ancient Chinese curse or the legendary 'touch of death'? 6 conspiracy theories explored |first=DOUGLAS |last=PARKES |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=July 20, 2021 | access-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225052236/https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3141681/what-killed-bruce-lee-triads-jealous-lover-ancient | url-status=live}}</ref>

[[Donald Teare]], a senior British pathologist recommended by [[Scotland Yard]] who had overseen over 1,000 autopsies, was assigned to perform an [[autopsy]] on Lee. His conclusion was "[[death by misadventure]]" caused by [[cerebral edema]] due to a reaction to compounds present in the combination medication [[Aspirin/meprobamate|Equagesic]]. According to [[autopsy]] reports, Lee's brain had swollen from 1,400 to 1,575 grams, a 12.5% increase. Lee had taken [[Aspirin/meprobamate|Equagesic]] on the day of his death, which contained both [[aspirin]] and the tranquilizer [[meprobamate]], although he had taken it many times before.{{sfn|Campbell|Lee|2006|p=206}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/bruce-lee-death-cause-revealed-760107 |title=Nearly 50 years later, the actual cause of Bruce Lee's death may have just been discovered |first=DAVE |last=HANRATTY |work=[[Joe (website)|Joe]] | access-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225052236/https://www.joe.ie/movies-tv/bruce-lee-death-cause-revealed-760107 | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3098784/bruce-lees-death-who-was-betty-ting-pei-rumoured-lover |title=Bruce Lee's death: Who was Betty Ting Pei, the rumoured lover whose bed the martial arts legend died on? |first=LARAMIE |last=MOK |work=[[South China Morning Post]] |date=August 26, 2020 | access-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-date=February 13, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240213021855/https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/celebrity/article/3098784/bruce-lees-death-who-was-betty-ting-pei-rumoured-lover | url-status=live}}</ref>

Although there was initial speculation that [[Cannabis (drug)|cannabis]] found in Lee's stomach may have contributed to his death, Teare said it would "be both 'irresponsible and irrational' to say that [cannabis] might have triggered either the events of Bruce's collapse on May 10 or his death on July 20". Dr. R. R. Lycette, the clinical pathologist at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, reported at the coroner hearing that the death could not have been caused by cannabis.<ref>{{harvnb|Thomas|1994|p=209}}</ref>

In a 2018 biography, author Matthew Polly consulted with medical experts and theorized that the cerebral edema that killed Lee had been caused by over-exertion and [[heat stroke]]; heat stroke was not considered at the time because it was then a poorly understood condition. Furthermore, Lee had his underarm sweat glands removed in late 1972, in the apparent belief that underarm sweat was unphotogenic on film. Polly further theorized that this caused Lee's body to overheat while practicing in hot temperatures on May 10 and July 20, 1973, resulting in heat stroke that in turn exacerbated the cerebral edema that led to his death.{{sfn|Polly|2018|pp=473–475}}<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bruce-lee-may-have-died-from-a-heat-stroke-new-book-claims |title=Bruce Lee may have died from a heat stroke, new book claims |first=Stephanie |last=Nolasco |work=[[Fox News]] |date=June 29, 2018 | access-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-date=May 23, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523004549/https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/bruce-lee-may-have-died-from-a-heat-stroke-new-book-claims | url-status=live}}</ref>

In an article in the December 2022 issue of ''Clinical Kidney Journal'', a team of researchers examined the various theories regarding Lee's cause of death, and concluded that his fatal cerebral edema was brought on by [[hyponatremia]], an insufficient concentration of sodium in the blood. The authors noted that several risk factors predisposed Lee to hyponatremia, including excessive water intake, insufficient [[Solution (chemistry)|solute]] intake, alcohol consumption, and use or overuse of multiple drugs which impair the ability of the [[kidney]]s to excrete excess fluids. Lee's symptoms before his death were also found to closely match known cases of fatal hyponatremia.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Villalvazo |first1=Priscila |last2=Fernandez-Prado |first2=Raul |last3=Niño |first3=Maria Dolores Sánchez |last4=Carriazo |first4=Sol |last5=Fernández-Fernández |first5=Beatriz |last6=Ortiz |first6=Alberto |last7=Perez-Gomez |first7=Maria Vanessa |date=March 10, 2022 |title=Who killed Bruce Lee? The hyponatraemia hypothesis |journal=Clinical Kidney Journal |volume=15 |issue=12 |pages=2169–2176 |doi=10.1093/ckj/sfac071 |issn=2048-8505 |pmc=9664576 |pmid=36381374}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |url=https://variety.com/2022/film/news/bruce-lee-death-too-much-water-study-finds-1235439405/ |title=Bruce Lee's Death Caused by Drinking Too Much Water, Researchers Propose in New Study |first=Jackson Kim |last=Murphy |work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=November 21, 2022 | access-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240225052236/https://variety.com/2022/film/news/bruce-lee-death-too-much-water-study-finds-1235439405/ | url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-21/bruce-lee-cause-of-death-theory-water-hyponatremia |title=Kidney specialists revisit Bruce Lee's cause of death |first=CHRISTIE |last=D'ZURILLA |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=November 21, 2022 | url-access=limited | access-date=February 25, 2024 | archive-date=February 8, 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240208184337/https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-11-21/bruce-lee-cause-of-death-theory-water-hyponatremia | url-status=live}}</ref>