Trying to hold in a sneeze may not be the best idea, as evidenced by the story of a 30-year-old who blew a hole in his windpipe after trying to avoid a sneeze.
His medical adventure was the subject of a study conducted by Scottish researchers and published in a journal BMG Magazine.
While driving a car, a man in his thirties tried to suppress his sneezing by pinching his nose and keeping his mouth closed.
However, experts explained that the pressure in the upper airway during sneezing ranges from 1 to 2 kPa, but can increase up to 20 times if the mouth and nose are closed.
After stifling several sneezes, the man who suffers from allergic rhinitis, a condition that causes nasal congestion, felt “severe pain in his neck.”
Doctors did not notice a spontaneous tracheostomy until he was examined in the hospital, which is a “rare condition that could threaten his life.”
The specialists noted in their research: “We reported a perforation of the trachea after sneezing, which has not been reported before, to our knowledge.”
The man managed to survive without surgery, but using medication to relieve nasal congestion. His windpipe eventually returned to normal.
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