A man’s seemingly benign tooth infection spiraled into a deadly brain condition.
Graham Bell, a 61-year-old father-of-two from the UK, was preparing for a day trip with his wife, Sue, in March when he came down with a severe headache.
Sue also noticed her husband’s face ‘had fallen to one side,’ which is usually a sign of a stroke.
However, after being rushed to the Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust in Liverpool, doctors found a one-inch mass in Graham’s brain called an abscess.
Graham underwent ‘life-saving brain surgery’ to drain the abscess, a growth that forms from pus and other materials in the brain.
Abscesses swell and put pressure on the brain, which damages cells and restricts blood flow, eventually killing off brain tissue.
Doctors believe the growth was caused by a crack in one of Graham’s teeth that had become infected.
He said in a hospital news release: ‘It was bizarre because I had no pain or swelling in my mouth to tell me there was something wrong.’
Graham Bell, a 61-year-old father-of-two from the UK (pictured here), suffered a near-deadly brain abscess as a result of a cracked tooth that had become infected
About 1,500 to 2,500 Americans suffer brain abscesses every year, and around 10 to 30 percent die from the condition. Estimates vary for the UK but range from 200 to 900 cases per year with a similar mortality rate.
Bacteria from tooth infections are thought to travel from the infected tooth through the bloodstream, reaching the brain through the sinuses. Pus, which forms from infected tissues, then develops into an abscess.
Sue said by the time Graham got to the hospital, his condition ‘had deteriorated greatly.’
‘The ambulance brought us to The Walton Centre, and once there I knew it was serious,’ she said.
‘Graham was prepped for surgery right away. The team was so professional, but it was obvious that speed was of the essence.’
Surgery to drain the abscess was a success, and Graham’s condition gradually began to improve over the coming days.
He said: ‘It was a lot of information to take in a short time. I had the family around me, but I think we were all in a bit of shock. I was not well, so finding out what was going on quickly was key for all of us.’
However, his symptoms returned a few days after surgery, with doctors realizing Graham was suffering from sepsis.
Sepsis is the immune system’s extreme reaction to an infection that causes the body to attack vital organs. It’s been dubbed a ‘silent killer’ in the US, taking 350,000 lives each year or one every 90 seconds.
It’s usually treated with antibiotics for the underlying infection and medications called vasopressors, which divert blood flow back to vital organs.
However, this takes blood from ‘non-vital’ areas like limbs, increasing the risk of tissue death and amputations.
Graham, pictured here with his wife, Sue, and two children, Rob and Aimee, still has communication and movement delays from the abscess and sepsis but is improving
Graham was rushed to the operating room for a second time to drain the abscess again.
He spent six weeks recovering, though scar tissue in the brain from the infection has left him with some communication and movement delays.
Sue said: ‘He still has issues with communicating and moving around, but we’re following the therapy and on our way to getting back to as close to normal as possible.’
Graham’s two children, Rob and Aimee, raised about $4,200 for The Walton Centre Charity with a sponsored walk after being inspired by their father’s treatment.
Sue said: ‘The hospital saved his life. For that there is nothing we can do to thank them enough!
‘But as a family we can raise some money and give something back to support the outstanding care they give to patients every day.’
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