Can Sinus Infection Kill You? Chilling Story of Teenager’s Death Will Leave You Speechless

It started as a mild cold but slowly developed into something serious, prompting several emergency trips to the ER.

A Sinus Infection Gone Too Far

No one could have thought that a sinus infection could become life-threatening, but for one 13-year-old boy from Michigan named Marquel Brumley, mild cold-like symptoms eventually took his life after doctors diagnosed him incorrectly. By the time they discovered the real cause behind his migraines and seizures, it was already too late and the infection had spread to his brain.

Sinus infections are quite common but rarely turn into a life-threatening condition

While talking to the news reporters, aunt Nicole Alexander said that her nephew, Marquel, first showed signs of a mild flu-like sickness in February but no one in the family thought that it could be anything serious. After symptoms like soar throat and runny nose lasted for too long, Marquel’s mother took him to the hospital where the doctors said that he only has a mild viral infection that would run its course. The 13-year-old was sent home without any medication and was told to take plenty of rest.

After a few weeks, some of the cold symptoms subsided, but they were soon replaced with severe headaches. Soon, Marquel was back in the emergency room again, and this time, the doctors assumed that his persistent headaches were migraines which could be controlled with medications like Tylenol and Motrin. In the course of a few weeks, Marquel had made three trips to the hospital but the doctors failed to recognize the real illness which was causing severe headaches and persistent flu-like symptoms.

Persistent Migraines?

Marquel Brumley, 13, with his mother

Nicole said that the piercing headaches would often subside for a few hours after taking the over-the-counter painkillers, but they would return again, worse than before. After a week went by and Marquel’s condition didn’t improve, his doctor prescribed him more pain relieving meds and an antihistamine in an effort to reduce the headaches. The pain became so bad that Marquel stopped eating and drinking completely and was put on fluids and sleeping pills to help him fall asleep at night.

Nicole said that everyone in the family thought that the symptoms were caused by migraines, just like the doctors had told them, but by the time they understood the seriousness of the situation, it was already too late. One day Marquel woke up unable to move one side of his face and a completely swollen eye. The family rushed him to the ER once again and only after performing an MRI scan did the doctors understand that the sinus infection had spread to Marquel’s brain. One side of his face had stopped moving because of the strokes triggered by blood clots in the organ.

After being put on antibiotics, Marquel was taken to a children’s hospital in Michigan where doctors prepared him for an emergency brain surgery. Despite an attempt to remove the blood clots from his brain, the doctors failed to save Marquel’s life and he passed away a few days after the surgery. Nicole said that the blood clots had increased the blood pressure and completely cut off oxygen supply to his brain which eventually led to his death.

Both, viral and bacterial sinus infections, have similar symptoms which makes them hard to diagnose

Cause of Death

Marquel was given blood thinners to dissolve the blood clots but the medication was working too slowly and the 13-year-old didn’t have much time left. The swelling from the infection and the clots was so severe that it eventually cut off the oxygen supply to the brain, causing its death. On March 11, Marquel was pronounced dead in the hospital, leaving his entire family shocked and devastated by the news.

So, how exactly did a common sinus infection led to Marquel’s death? Doctors explained that most sinus infections are viral and usually go away on their own but in Marquel’s case, the infection was cased by bacteria and required antibiotics for treatment. The problem with viral and bacterial sinus infections are that they both have similar symptoms which makes them hard to diagnose.

The only difference between the two is that while viral infections often clear up on their own with rest and plenty of fluids, bacterial infections tend to continue for a longer period of time if not treated properly. The most effective way of diagnosing a sinus infection is by visiting a nose, throat, and ear doctor who will use an endoscope to tell whether the infection is viral or bacterial.