Why shouldn't you hold a sneeze?

A team of doctors revealed that a man suffered a hole in his throat after holding in his sneeze, in a first-of-its-kind case.

The Scottish patient, who was not named, tried to stifle a sneezing fit by closing his nose and mouth while driving.

But the pressure resulting from the sneeze was so great that it created a 0.08-inch hole in his windpipe, forcing him to rush to the hospital.

Reports revealed that he suffered from severe pain, and doctors also heard a crackling sound when he breathed, although he was still able to speak, swallow and breathe.

X-rays revealed that he was suffering from surgical emphysema, when air becomes trapped in the deepest tissues under the skin.

A CT scan showed that the tear was between the third and fourth bones of his neck, and that air was accumulating in the space between the lungs in his chest.

The doctors then decided that he did not need surgery, but they monitored him for two days in the hospital to ensure that his oxygen levels were stable. Then they took him out of the hospital and gave him painkillers, and the tear healed in 5 weeks.

The man was suffering from allergic rhinitis, a common condition where the nose becomes irritated due to an allergy to a product or thing, such as pollen. They can cause sneezing, itching, runny or stuffy nose, coughing and itching on the roof of the mouth.

Dr Rasadas Nesirovs, from the University of Dundee, said this case should serve as a warning to people against trying to hold in a sneeze.

He explained: “Everyone should not stifle a sneeze by pinching the nose while keeping the mouth closed, as this may lead to puncturing the trachea.”

It is noteworthy that sneezing leads to an increase in pressure in the airways, but holding it can lead to an increase in this pressure by about 20 times.

Report the case in BMJ Reports.