Man dies after massive sneeze triggers brain haemorrhage and heart attack

A sneeze led to the death of a South Devon pensioner, an inquest has heard. South Devon coroner's officer Ric Parsons said after the hearing that in 24 years, this was the first case of 'death by sneezing' he had come across, adding: "It was just a very unfortunate and sad end to his life."

The inquest at HM Coroner's Office in Palk Street, Torquay, heard 79-year-old retired design engineer John Oram was seen by staff at his care home Teignbridge House, Torquay Road, Shaldon to sneeze violently two days before he died on July 18.

Mr Oram had a heart condition and suffered from diabetes and was taking Warfarin, a drug which thins the blood, explained Mr Parsons.



In a statement read out at the inquest, care home owner Michael Burnham said: "On July 16 he was seen to have had a very violent sneeze. It was violent enough for it to be noticeable and for two members of staff to notice it. I can only imagine the sneeze combined with Warfarin could have been the cause of his death."

HM Coroner for Torbay and South Devon Ian Arrow said the cause of death was subdural hematoma, or trauma to the brain, and coronary artery disease. "He would have suffered a minor trauma and on the balance of probability it was likely it was the sneeze which led to his death."

His son Mark, 50, attended the hearing and said afterwards his father was 'sorely missed' and that it was a surprise that something as 'innocuous as a sneeze' could have caused his father's demise. He added: "It does seem to be an unusual demise from sneezing, but his medical history of having heart conditions for 30 years necessitated him being on medication and I guess as you get older everything gets weaker and more susceptible to being damaged."