Fit and healthy student died from rare 1-in-100,000 brain complication

A “fit and healthy” university student died from a rare brain abscess less than 24 hours after being sent home from medical care with nasal spray treatment for suspected sinusitis, an inquest has heard.

Cian Everett, 21, a keen rower and final-year Politics and International Relations student at the University of Reading, was found dead at his family home in New Milton, Hampshire, in January 2025.

The inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court heard that Everett had first complained of an intense “thunderclap” headache, describing the pain as feeling like he had been “hit by a pile of bricks.”

Despite repeatedly seeking medical help, he was ultimately prescribed an over-the-counter nasal spray for suspected sinusitis after attending an urgent treatment centre.

Doctors were unaware that Everett had developed an extremely rare complication of sinusitis affecting an estimated one in 100,000 cases, which led to a large brain abscess and acute meningitis.

The inquest was told the abscess measured around 4–6cm, approximately the size of a snooker ball, and had been developing over several days before his death.

Everett had initially contacted NHS 111 services after his symptoms worsened, reporting persistent severe headaches and later describing the pain as feeling like he had been “hit like a brick.”

He was advised to attend a pharmacy and later an urgent treatment centre, where he was treated for sinusitis. However, clinicians did not have access to earlier 111 call notes, and concerns such as “thunderclap headache” were not fully escalated.

The inquest also heard that the urgent treatment centre did not routinely assess patients presenting with suspected “thunderclap” symptoms due to limitations in equipment and referral pathways.

Medical staff believed Everett’s condition was improving because his nasal symptoms appeared to ease, and no further neurological testing was carried out.

His mother, Gillian Everett, told the inquest she had spent the days before his death trying to help manage his symptoms, including taking him to a treatment centre and contacting NHS services twice as his condition deteriorated.

She described him as a healthy young man who “wasn’t a fusser” and said she did not initially realise the seriousness of his illness.

On the morning of his death, Mrs Everett discovered him unresponsive in his bedroom after hearing a “horrible gurgling noise.” She performed CPR before emergency services arrived, but he was pronounced dead shortly after 6.30am.

Assistant coroner Sarah Whitby concluded Everett died from raised intracranial pressure caused by an intracerebral abscess and acute meningitis, describing it as a natural death resulting from a “rare complication of sinusitis that was not recognised.”

She noted that Everett had been “fit and healthy with no relevant medical history,” and confirmed the abscess had been present for several days before the fatal outcome.

The coroner also said internal processes relating to the handling of NHS 111 call information had since been updated following Everett’s death.

A family tribute described him as a bright, active student with a wide circle of friends and a strong passion for sport, music and academic life, noting he was “just starting to build the network of friends and contacts that were going to be the foundation of his career.”