February 18, 2008
Teenager Dies From Just A Scratch On His Finger
London: A UK teen, who unknowingly suffered from a rare condition that affects ju
st one in four million people, died after contracting an infection from a tiny cut on his finger, it is reported by the Daily Mail.
Matthew Corbett, 18, cut his ring finger while vacationing with his family in Spain and contracted a minor infection, according to the report.
At the time Corbett was unaware he suffered from aplastic anaemia, a condition in which bone marrow does not produce sufficient new cells to replenish older blood cells. People with the condition have lower counts of all three blood cell types: red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
The condition prevented Corbett’s body from fighting the infection from the cut and it quickly spread up his arm, according to the Daily Mail.
He was taken to Musgrove Park Hospital in Taunton, Somerset, UK, on October 14 and specialists diagnosed him with aplastic anaemia. Corbett was then moved to the Bristol Royal Infirmary where doctors determined that he needed a bone marrow transplant, according to the report.
After family members were determined to be unsuitable bone marrow donors, one was found in Northern England. He was scheduled to have the transfusion on February 7, but developed a chest infection beforehand that turned into pneumonia, it is reported. He died on February 6.
(Via Mumbai Mirror .)
