If you feel like sneezing, it’s better to do so. Otherwise, you could potentially injure your throat.
Doctors are advising individuals to not attempt to suppress a sneeze while driving, as a man in his 30s recently suffered a spontaneous tracheal perforation, which can be fatal.
Struggling to suppress a sneeze by holding his nose and closing his mouth simultaneously, the man experienced a sudden onset of sharp neck pain. Concerned, he made his way to the emergency department in Dundee.
Medical professionals at Ninewells hospital were shocked to discover a cracking noise upon touching the patient’s neck, and further examination revealed that he had lost the ability to control his movements. CT scans later confirmed that the man had suffered a torn windpipe.
The incident was documented in the BMJ Case Reports, a medical journal. According to Dr. Rasads Misirovs, the primary author of the report, he and his team were initially perplexed by the underlying cause of the man’s ailment.
The man stated that it was unexpected for the patient to arrive at the hospital with a swollen neck after sneezing. This was unlike anything they had encountered before, aside from injuries or surgical complications resulting in holes in the windpipe.
According to Misirovs, the crucial step in solving the mystery was verifying the exact order of the occurrences, followed by thorough scans of the patient.
A neck X-ray revealed the presence of air in areas where it should not be. Subsequent computed tomography scans of the neck and chest revealed the amount of trapped air in the tissues and the location of a hole in the windpipe.
Misirovs described the situation as one-of-a-kind. He stated that encountering complications like this is highly uncommon, almost unheard of. It’s comparable to winning a million-pound lottery – a rare but possibly life-altering complication.
The man in this case was fortunate to have escaped unharmed. He received pain relief, was admitted to the hospital, and closely monitored for 48 hours. His throat wound fully healed within five weeks.
Misirovs stated that the situation could have been much more severe. When both the mouth and nose are shut during a sneeze, the pressure in the upper airways can rise by 20 times.
He stated that the most severe outcome could be a ruptured trachea leading to suffocation, or potentially a brain hemorrhage.
What is the main takeaway from this episode? “My recommendation is to allow the sneezes to happen, as it is the body’s natural way of getting rid of irritants in the nose,” stated Misirovs.
To prevent the spread of irritants like viruses, saliva, and mucus to others around us, we can gently cover our face with our hand or the inner part of our elbow.
Source: theguardian.com
