Cracks in the throat Do not close the nose and mouth while sneezing

Man blows himself in the throat - Why sneezing should not be suppressed

Be it when cooking, when pepper gets in the nose, during a walk, when pollen is flying or because of a cold: every person has to sneeze again and again. But some also try to suppress sneezing out of courtesy. Why this is not a good idea, shows a case from the UK. Because of this, a man has contracted a tear in his throat muscles.

Congenital protection mechanism

Niesen is an innate protective mechanism that removes nasal secretions, dust, and other foreign substances from the nose. Of course, for reasons of hygiene, you should always hold your hand or sneeze into the crook of your arm. But there are also people who suppress the sneeze for reasons of politeness. However, this can be dangerous, as a case from the UK shows. There, a man tried to suppress the impulse and has thereby incurred a tear in the pharyngeal muscles.

A case from Britain shows why it is not a good idea to suppress sneezing. A 34-year-old man has contracted a tear in his throat muscles. (Image: zstock / fotolia.com)

Do not suppress sneezing

Actually, it is a polite gesture to suppress sneezing. But who does that endangers his health. A 34-year-old man from the UK had to experience this painfully. His case is reported in the journal "British Medical Journal".

The 34-year-old had reportedly come to the emergency room at University Hospitals of Leicester, England, with severe pain from swallowing and a croaking voice.

The patient explained that the symptoms had started after trying to pinch the nostrils and keep his mouth shut in the presence of a huge sneeze.

He immediately felt a throbbing sensation on the back of his neck, and a little later the pain in his throat started.

As the throat swelled and his voice changed, he had decided to go to the hospital.

Tear in the pharyngeal muscles

When the doctors examined him, they heard a crunching, crackling sound from the neck down to the chest, suggesting that air bubbles had entered his pectoral muscles.

This was confirmed by a subsequent computed tomography.

After further investigation, the doctors concluded that the man was suffering from a perforation of the pharynx.

According to the medical experts, such a tear in the pharyngeal muscles is very rare. The cause is usually vomiting or a strong cough.

Holding your nose can be dangerous

In the case of the British patient, the matter had gone off lightly. The 34-year-old had to be artificially fed for a week via a probe and treated with antibiotics.

Then the man was dismissed with the advice to consume only soft foods for the next few days and in the future never to close his nose and mouth while sneezing.

"To stop sneezing by blocking the nostrils and mouth is a dangerous maneuver and should be avoided," Dr. Wanding Yang from the University Hospital of Leicester according to a report by the Canadian newspaper "Vancouver Sun".

"It can lead to numerous complications." Among other things, this can lead to perforation of the eardrum or the tearing of blood vessels in the brain.

In medical literature, there are also individual case reports of people who became deaf because they have closed their noses while sneezing.

In addition, pressure builds up through the nose, which presses pathogens or dirt into the sinuses or in the direction of the middle ear. There can be an inflammation.

When sneezing a considerable pressure is built up

The case of the English patient, however, according to Michael Deeg, ENT doctor in Freiburg and press spokesman of the German Professional Association of ENT doctors very unusual.

As the physician explained in a message from the dpa news agency, he had not encountered any comparably serious injuries in his own practice.

However, owing to a suppressed sneeze, occasionally there would be occasional bursting veins in the eye or irritations caused by overstretching of the tissue.

"When sneezing or coughing a very significant pressure is built up. The air speed can reach about hurricane strength, as acting properly forces, "said Deeg, according to dpa.

According to experts, when sneezing small particles fly out of the nose at a speed of up to 150 kilometers per hour.

Or as a research team in the journal "PLOS ONE" reported: the mini-droplets leave the body while sneezing as fast as when coughing.

Trying to suppress this stimulus is very unhealthy. In extreme cases, this could lead to serious injuries such as those in the UK. (Ad)