I recently read an article on a 13yo teenager who died from a sinus infection last year that spread to his brain. Just wondering how this happened, and if he had gotten treatment earlier, could it have saved his life?
https://www.self.com/story/13-year-old-boy-died-sinus-infection-brain
In: Biology
Sinus infections are especially deadly because they occur in the [danger triangle of the face](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danger_triangle_of_the_face), an area that makes it easier than usual for infections to spread to the brain. Usually something called the [blood-brain barrier](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood%E2%80%93brain_barrier) protects the brain from infections from the rest of the body. But because the sinuses are so close to the central area where blood flows into the brain, infections there can overwhelm the barrier, allowing the brain itself to be infected. This is very dangerous since the brain is fragile and can’t fight infection well. It’s important to get treatment (usually antibiotics) for any infections in your sinuses. Deaths from these infections have dropped dramatically since antibiotics became available.
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