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Man ruptures his throat by holding nose and closing mouth during a sneeze

Doctors warned that suppressing a sneeze could be dangerous: Shutterstock / Roman Samborskyi
Doctors warned that suppressing a sneeze could be dangerous: Shutterstock / Roman Samborskyi

Doctors have warned against closing your mouth when you sneeze after a man ruptured his throat.

A 34-year-old man, who was previously fit and well, spent a week in hospital barely able to speak and swallow after suffering the injury, a report in the British Medical Journal said.

Ear, nose and throat specialists at the University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust have now warned against holding your mouth and nose closed when sneezing.

They said the "unusual condition" is most often caused by trauma or sometimes by vomiting, retching or heavy coughing, so the patient's symptoms initially surprised emergency care doctors.

He told them he had developed a popping sensation in his neck which immediately swelled up after he tried to contain a forceful sneeze by pinching his nose and keeping his mouth clamped shut at the same time.

When doctors examined him they heard popping and crackling sounds, which extended from his neck all the way down to his ribcage, a sign that air bubbles had found their way into the deep tissue and muscles of the chest - later confirmed by a scan.

Because of the risk of serious complications he was admitted to hospital where he was fed by a tube and given intravenous antibiotics until the swelling and pain had subsided.

After seven days the man, who has not been identified, was discharged with the advice not to block both nostrils when sneezing in future.

"Halting sneezing via blocking (the) nostrils and mouth is a dangerous manoeuvre, and should be avoided," the BMJ report said.

"It may lead to numerous complications, such as pseudomediastinum (air trapped in the chest between both lungs), perforation of the tympanic membrane (perforated eardrum), and even rupture of a cerebral aneurysm (ballooning blood vessel in the brain)," it added.

Additional reporting by Press Association