A British man's near-fatal illness will make you think twice about biting your fingernails.
Twenty-eight-year-old Luke Hanoman contracted a deadly sepsis, which was randomly triggered after he bit his fingernails, the Mirror reported.
It all began in July last year when the father-of-two began feeling ill after having bitten skin down the side of his nail.
Mr Hanoman then spent the next week fighting flu-like symptoms, all while an infection was spreading throughout his blood.
He was eventually taken to hospital, where he spent four days under 24-hour observation. Doctors told him he was "lucky to be alive".
"I used to bite my nails all the time. It was a nervous thing. And one day I bit the skin down the side of my nail. It hurt a bit but I didn't think anything of it," Mr Hanoman said.
"I had cold sweats, I was shaking, and then going hot. And then my finger started swelling up and I had this unbearable throbbing."
The warehouse operator from Southport has made a full recovery, and is now raising awareness of the horrendous illness he went through.
"I think it's important people know that it can target anyone at any age," Mr Hanoman said.
Sepsis occurs when the body fights an infection and works excessively hard to keep the system going - it can ultimately result in a reduction of blood to the organs.
Symptoms include lethargy, a high temperature and fast breathing.
Newshub.
