What killed Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart?

It wasn't just the stress of Salieri's hatred. A recent article in the Annals of Internal Medicine offers the suggestion of poststreptococcal glomerulonephritis:

The Dutch paper's authors - Richard Zegers, Andreas Weigl and Andrew Steptoe - reached their conclusion by comparing historical accounts of the maestro's illness - fever, rash, limb pain and swelling - with illnesses prevalent at the time of his death.

They analysed more than 5,000 cases between 1791 and 1793 and found oedema (a swelling caused by the build-up of fluid beneath the skin) to be the third most common cause of death after tuberculosis and malnutrition.

Mozart's body was said to be so swollen in his dying days that he could not even turn over in bed. And in December 1791, the month of his death, the researchers found oedema to be far more prevalent among men of his young age.

This led them to conclude he may have had a simple strep infection, which caused a disorder that destroyed his kidneys.

More at the BBC.