// BBC UK NEWS — CRONACA
I brushed off my sore throat as a hangover, but it turned into sepsis
Elle Black was in her first year at Cardiff University when she developed sepsis as a complication of quinsy
When Elle Black woke up the morning after a night out in February 2024, she felt dreadful.
The 21-year-old, who was in her first year at Cardiff University, believed her sore throat and flu-like symptoms were a hangover and initially "brushed it off".
But the following day she was being treated in hospital for sepsis, external, a serious reaction to an infection which can be life-threatening. Doctors told her if she had waited another day things could have been "quite different".
Elle is now urging other young people to be aware of the symptoms of sepsis, while the charity Sepsis Research said it was important to never dismiss symptoms that are severe or getting worse.
"I got home in the early hours of the morning and the back of my throat started to hurt, which I thought was strange because I didn't have any other symptoms yet," recalled Elle, who graduated this summer with a degree in journalism, media and culture.
"I took some ibuprofen, shrugged it off, went to sleep. I woke up the next day absolutely exhausted, no energy, really high fever."
Elle (left) had been out enjoying the Six Nations with friends before she fell ill
Elle, who is originally from Warwickshire, went to get brunch with her parents as planned, but "alarm bells were ringing" because her tonsils were swollen and she was unable to eat, so she booked a private GP appointment for later that day.
The doctor diagnosed her with laryngitis, external and prescribed antibiotics.