Astonishing medical report shows why you should never hold in a sneeze – as 30-year-old hayfever sufferer tears his windpipe

A young man with a history of allergies suffered a severe tear in his trachea after trying to 'hold in' a sneeze.

British doctors, who reported the case in the British Medical Journal, said this was the first documented case of a suppressed sneeze leading to the injury – which can be life-threatening.

The experts said that suppressing the reflex by closing the nose and mouth caused pressurized air to escape into the man's neck tissue and chest, causing the delicate tissue to tear.

A tear in the windpipe, medically known as a tracheal tear, is more commonly caused by injury during or after surgery to remove the thyroid gland.

This is the small butterfly-shaped organ in the neck that controls various body processes, including metabolism and energy levels.

It is also commonly seen after the insertion of a breathing tube (approximately one in 20,000 patients will experience this complication) or a stent in the esophagus.

In the latest case, reported by doctors at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Scotland, the patient visited the hospital complaining of severe neck pain due to sneezing.

Doctors also noticed a faint cracking sound when they felt his neck, which prevented the man from moving properly.

Scans revealed a small tear in the man's windpipe, about the width of a sesame seed.

In severe cases, tears in the trachea can cause the airways to narrow, which can cause life-threatening breathing problems. Serious infections are also common.

A CT scan of the man's neck revealed air concentrations in surrounding tissues due to the tear, which is what the white arrow points to

Injury to the trachea is rare and is usually noticed when patients have symptoms of respiratory distress.

In the recently reported In this case, the pressure in the airways rose up to 20 times higher than normal, due to the impact of holding in the sneeze.

Doctors said: 'We suspect that the trachea is perforated due to a rapid build-up of pressure in the trachea during sneezing with a pinched nose and closed mouth.'

Doctors treating a tear in the trachea would consider surgery if the patient cannot breathe on their own or if the tear has extended into the space around the lungs.

Surgery is also necessary if there is a persistent build-up of air under the skin or in the chest.

The man in the report closed his mouth and nose while sneezing, causing the pressure in his airways to rise dramatically – up to 20 times higher than normal

But because the man's tear was small and his blood pressure and breathing were normal, surgeons opted not to perform surgery.

Instead, the man was treated with over-the-counter pain and fever-reducing paracetamol, as well as codeine.

And five weeks later, the tear had healed on its own thanks to the natural repair processes of the immune system.

The man was prescribed anti-allergy medications including a steroid nasal spray and a decongestant to treat his congestion.

He remained in the hospital for 48 hours, but the man experienced no further health complications.

Doctors ordered him to stop suppressing his sneezing and not to exercise for two weeks.

A follow-up scan just over a month later showed that the problem had completely resolved itself.

A tracheal tear is not the only injury that can result from suppressing a sneeze.

Doctors in Britain reported a case in 2018 of a man who suffered a severe tear in his pharynx – a tube in the neck that helps with breathing and digesting food – as a result of holding in a sneeze.

The doctors warned that choking sneezes 'should be avoided as it can lead to numerous complications, such as pneumomediastinum (air trapped in the chest between the lungs), perforation of the eardrum (perforated eardrum) and even rupture of a brain aneurysm (possibly fatal). burst). blood vessels in the brain).'