A teenager in Britain almost died in a rare case of blood poisoning caused by her tampon.

Paige Roffey, 15, collapsed at her home in Rayleigh, Essex with toxic shock syndrome after using a tampon for four hours. Her mother, Sarah, 39, initially thought that Paige had a virus when she became ill on July 11, according to the Daily Mail.

"Paige was feeling sick and ill so we took her to Southend Hospital's A&E department. They said she had a virus and we took her home but she still wasn't well and became really ill during the night. Then she collapsed in the shower so we took her back to hospital.

"They found her blood pressure was dangerously low and if we had left it a little while longer, she wouldn't have made it. They were working on her in Neptune Ward for hours. They were pumping great bags of fluid into her, squeezing the bags by hand," she said.

Toxic shock syndrome is a very rare but severe illness caused by bacterial toxins released into the bloodstream, which causes a big drop in blood pressure. Other symptoms include muscle aches and diarrhea. The ailment affects as few as 20 people a year, and only around two cases a year have a possible tampon link. There is a good chance of recovery if diagnosed and treated early.

Tampax, the brand which Paige had used before her illness, said an inquiry was under way.