• Home
  • News
  • Entertainment
  • LAD Originals

To make sure you never miss out on your favourite NEW stories, we're happy to send you some reminders

Click 'OK' then 'Allow' to enable notifications

Not now
OK
Advert
Advert
Advert

Brit was hospitalised after holding in a sneeze and blowing hole in throat

Rhiannon Ingle

Published 
| Last updated 

Brit was hospitalised after holding in a sneeze and blowing hole in throat

Ever held in a sneeze to be polite? Well, you'll be thinking twice about doing so after reading this.

One Brit was left hospitalised after holding in a sneeze and ended up blowing a hole right through his throat.

In a case report published back in 2017, the British Medical Journal explained the medical phenomenon in a report aptly titled: "Snap, crackle and pop: when sneezing leads to crackling in the neck."

Pretty iconic - if you ask me.

Advert
A man was left with a hole in his throat after holding in a sneeze. Credit: Leicester Hospital
A man was left with a hole in his throat after holding in a sneeze. Credit: Leicester Hospital

In the report, the doctors reported that a 'previously fit and well 34-year-old man' turned up to emergency services with a 'change of voice' after a particularly 'forceful sneeze'.

"He described a popping sensation in his neck and some bilateral neck swelling after he tried to halt a sneeze by pinching the nose and holding his mouth closed," the report continued.

The bloke then started to notice some odd symptoms including pain when swallowing, a change in his voice, a popping sensation and swelling in his neck leading him to seek medical attention.

Advert

The case was even more bizarre considering the man 'denied having eaten anything sharp' alongside having 'no fever' or 'signs of respiratory distress'.

Upon a physical examination, health professionals found 'swelling and tenderness' in his neck with an X-ray later revealing that 'streaks of air' had become trapped in parts of the man's throat tissue.

The injury happened due to 'streaks of air' being trapped in the patient's throat. Credit: Towfiqu barbhuiya / Pexels
The injury happened due to 'streaks of air' being trapped in the patient's throat. Credit: Towfiqu barbhuiya / Pexels

Lovely image - I know.

Advert

These pockets of trapped air effectively meant the man had ruptured his own throat.

The authors added that it was the type of injury that usually results from trauma, surgery, or infection.

One of the doctors who wrote the report, Wanding Yang, told CNN at the time: "This 34-year-old chap said he was always trying to hold his sneeze because he thinks it is very unhygienic to sneeze into the atmosphere or into someone's face.

"That means he's been holding his sneezes for the last 30 years or so, but this time it was different [...] Luckily, it was a very small perforation. He didn't need any operation."

Advert

Luckily, the patient recovered after using a feeding tube and being put on a course of antibiotics.

The report noted that his symptoms 'gradually resolved during the course of admission'.

On a two-month follow-up, the man 'did not present any further recurrence or complications'.

So the bottom line?

Advert

Catch it, bin it, kill it and never hold it in.

Featured Image Credit: Leicester Hospital/Pixabay

Topics: Health, Weird

Rhiannon Ingle
More like this
Advert
Advert
Advert

Chosen for YouChosen for You

Entertainment

Doctor Who breaks tradition in iconic regeneration scene as Ncuti Gatwa is introduced

22 minutes ago

Most Read StoriesMost Read

Netflix fans rave over new apocalyptic disaster thriller with huge cast that 'did not disappoint'

2 days ago