Cian Everett inquest: ‘Fit and healthy’ Hampshire student dies from rare brain abscess just hours after being sent home by doctors

A “fit and healthy” university student died from a rare medical condition less than 24 hours after complaining of a “thunderclap” headache and being prescribed nasal spray, an inquest has heard.

Cian Everett, 21, a keen rower and Politics and International Relations student, was found dead by his mother at their family home.

He had described his headache as so painful it felt like he “had been hit by a pile of bricks” before being given a prescription for over-the-counter nasal spray for suspected sinusitis.

Unbeknownst to medics, Mr Everett had suffered an extremely rare complication of sinusitis, affecting only one in 100,000 people.

He had developed a 6cm abscess on his brain, thought to be around the same size as a snooker ball.

An inquest at Winchester Coroner’s Court, Hants, heard that Mr Everett that died at his parents’ home in New Milton, Hants in January 2025, from “raised intracranial pressure” due to the intracerebral abscess, and that he also experienced acute meningitis.

Mr Everett, a final year university student at Reading, Berks, was found dead just hours after he had been advised to use a nasal spray by doctors, who had not read the call notes from his previous 111 calls.

That day, he had also told a 111 call handler he had a “thunderclap” headache.

Cian had been watching TV and “bantering with his father” the evening before he died, the inquest heard.

Mr Everett’s mother, Gillian, said she left a washing-up bowl out for him in case he needed to throw up and said she told him “I loved him” the night before he passed away.

Ms Everett said that Mr Everett was “not a fusser” and was “always a very healthy person”, saying that “I don”t think he realised how ill he was”.

She had visited him in Reading in December 2024 to go Christmas shopping and he had told her about the headaches that he had been suffering, she said.

In the new year, she took him to Lymington’s Urgent Treatment Centre, Hants, but he was unable to secure a doctor’s appointment so was prescribed over-the-counter nasal spray for sinusitis.

He had been registered with a GP in Reading, Berkshire, who told him to go to the centre near his family home.

However, his symptoms worsened and he became “cold and lethargic” and lost his appetite.

Mrs Everett rang 111 on 12 January and was told to take Mr Everett to the pharmacy, where he was later diagnosed with sinusitis.

However, suggestions of sepsis or meningitis were ruled out.

She called 111 again the next day because of the continued “thunderclap” headaches as he complained it felt like “he’d been hit like a brick”.

He had stopped doing his normal activities and was told to go back to the Urgent Treatment Centre but the doctor, Simon Escalon, said that he had not seen any specific details from the earlier 111 call.

It was also found that the Urgent Treatment Centre excluded itself from seeing “thunderclap” incidents because they did not have the appropriate equipment.

Dr Escalon believed that Mr Everett’s health was improving because he no longer had a green nasal discharge and a nasal spray was prescribed.

Mrs Everett said that she did not go into the meeting with Mr Everett as he “was an adult”, but said she should have because he was “not a fusser”.

Dr Escalon concluded that if Mr Everett had an abscess, he would be “drowsy”, and so did not refer him for further testing.

However, Mr Everett died less than 24 hours later and an inquest heard that he had a 4-6cm abscess on his brain. His brain weighed 1,788g when it should have weighed 1,300-1,400g.

On the morning of 14 January, Mrs Everett heard a “horrible gurgling noise” and rushed into his bedroom and began shaking him.

After calling 999, she started CPR until the ambulance arrived. However, Mr Everett was pronounced dead shortly afterwards at around 6.30am.

Members of Mr Everett’s family attended the inquest held at Winchester Coroner’s Court this week.

Assistant Coroner Sarah Whitby confirmed the cause of death as raised intracranial pressure, an intracerebral abscess, and acute meningitis.

She gave a narrative conclusion of natural causes following a rare complication of sinusitis that was not recognised.

Ms Whitby said: “He was a fit and healthy young man with no relevant medical history.

“He was found with a brain abscess on the frontal lobe measuring 4-6cm. The abscess had a mass effect of raising the intrachranial pressure.

“The abscess had been developing over five to seven days before his death. The meningitis had been present for approximately a day before his death.

“It is the abscess which is the main cause and it is a rare occurrence. It has been said to be a one in 100,000 case.”

It was confirmed that processes at the surgery relating to the reviews of 111 calls have changed since Mr Everett”s death.

Dr Judith Burchardt, a GP in Reading, Berks, who had worked with Mr Everett, said: “He was a healthy young man and was a rower. He had an unremarkable medical history.

“I was very shocked to hear of his death and please send my condolences to his family.”

Since his death, Mr Everett’s family have launched a development foundation to support charities and organisations which promote relied to young people in need.

A family tribute following his death said: “Throughout his all too short time with us Mr Everett had an active, diverse, and fun-filled life that was encouraged and supported by a close network of family and friends.

“As a result Mr Everett had a passion for music, enjoyed many sports, loved his academic life, had a wide group of friends and was just starting to build the network of friends and contacts that were going to be the foundation of his career and future life.

“We were all excited to see what he was going to do next.”

Ms Whitby confirmed that she will publish a prevention of future deaths report following the inquest.