Page 14 - IAV Digital Magazine #443

Man Ruptures Throat By Stifling A Sneeze
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine
Stifling a sneeze by clamping your nose and mouth shut can cause serious physical dam- age, doctors are warning.
Medics in Leicester treat- ed a 34-year-old man who rup- tured his throat while trying to stop a high- force sneeze.
With nowhere to escape, the pressure ripped through the soft tissue, and although rare and unusual, they say others should be aware of the danger.
Trapping a sneeze could also damage the ears or even rupture a brain aneurysm, they warn in jour-
nal BMJ Case Reports.
The man said he felt a "pop- ping" sensation in his neck when it hap- pened and then immediately experienced pain and difficul- ty swallowing and speaking.
When the doc- tors checked him over they found he had swelling and tenderness around his throat and neck.
An X-ray revealed air escaping from his windpipe into the soft tis- sue of his neck
through the rup- ture.
The man had to be fed by a tube for the next seven days to allow time for the tissues to heal.
After spending a week in hospi- tal, the man was sent home and
made a full recovery.
Doctors from the ear, nose, throat depart- ment at Leicester Royal Infirmary, where the man was treated, said: "Halting a sneeze via blocking nostrils and mouth is a
dangerous manoeuvre and should be avoided."
Sneezes can spread dis- eases, so although it is good to "let them out", make sure you catch them in a tissue, say experts.
With flu season in full swing, children and adults should be encouraged to cover their
mouth and nose with a tissue when they cough and sneeze and then throw the tissues away in a bin and wash their hands to stop the spread of germs, says Public Health England.
iAV - Antelope Valley Digital Magazine