On an ordinary day, in Dundy, Scotland, a man in his thirties, sneezed while driving – and a hole in his throat.
He disgraced his nose closed, closed his mouth, and felt a sudden explosion of pain. By the time when he arrived at the Nynewaleys Hospital, his neck was swollen, severe, and a disorder. He could not move it properly. Under the skin, doctors could hear a faint and interesting sound sound.
The surveying operations soon revealed what a few doctors have seen before: an automatic rupture of 2 millimeters in the trachea. It is a rare injury, which may threaten life-often seen after painful accidents or invasive surgeries. This time, it came from a benign thing like the murder of sneezing.
One million to one malfunction
Dr. Rasdes Missirov, a doctor at Dundy University and a leader BMJ case report Documenting the accident, surprised.
And he told Guardian. “None of us chased such a presentation before other than holes in the air after injuries or complications.”
From a medical point of view, it is known as the “spontaneous trachea hole” – a tear in the horse that is not caused by severe shock, knife or surgical slip, but by pressure alone.
The pressure was the perpetrator. When both the nose and mouth are closed during sneezing, internal pressure in the upper airways can rise with more than 20 times the natural strength. This tremendous force, in rare cases, can tear sensitive tissues.
CT scans confirmed damage. The air fled through the tear, leaking into the tissues in the leg of the leg and even in the distance between his lungs – a condition called swelling of the surgical lung. “The X -rays of the soft tissue of the neck showed the air in parts of the neck structures where there should be no air,” said Missirovs. “We calculated a tomography … which showed the extent of the air trapped in the tissues of the neck and dedication and the location of the opening in the wind canal.”
More than just “Achoo”
Although the man did not need surgery, his case was urgently treated. Watch the doctors in the hospital for 48 hours, and initially withhold food to reduce the pressure on its throat, the medications described for pain and straw fever. He went out with comfort – and not suppressing sneezing again.
Five weeks later, follow -up exams showed that tear was completely cured.
However, it was a brush with a danger. “The scenario of the worst cases can be the trachea that leads to suffocation,” Mesirovs warned. “Or even bleeding in the brain.”
This is not the first documented case of such an injury. In 2018, a similar event in Leicester, when another man, torn his throat in an attempt to strangle sneezing. Another similar case Australia was reported. But such cases are still rare. “It is like winning Pleian Yanas, a million pounds,” it is a rare complications, but it is likely to change life. “
So why do you take the opportunity?
The reflected sneezing has evolved for some reason. It is the natural defense of the body – a quick expulsion designed to clarify irritants such as pollen, viruses and dust. Although it may be uncomfortable or embarrassing in public places, keeping it can do more than just making your ears emerge.
Safety alternatives and lessons learned
This does not mean sneezing without concern for those around you. “We must gently cover the face either with our hand or the inner side of the elbow,” said Missirovs BBC. This helps to contain drops and reduce the spread of the disease.
For those who must suffocate the sneezing completely, it provides a safer trick: “I personally used another technique by pressing the thumb on my upper lip, directly below the nose, without preventing the nasal passages … by leaving the nasal clips open, sneezing can escape if the suffocation does not succeed.”
In 2023, the researchers had already warned the audience against suffocating sneezing after analyzing unusual emergencies. These preceding warnings, though, did not prevent this accident.
The authors of the recent report concluded that “everyone should be advised not to strangle sneezing by disk of the nose while keeping the mouth closed because it can lead to the trachea hole.”
