Doctors have issued a health warning after a man tore a hole in his throat after holding in a sneeze . Medics stress the importance of never trying to stifle a sneeze after the Scottish man in his 30s pinched his nose and closed his mouth while driving. The pressure from the sneeze was so great it tore a 0.
08-inch hole in his windpipe and he had to rush to hospital. Doctors found he had surgical emphysema - when air gets trapped in the deepest tissues under the skin. CT scans showed the tear was between the third and fourth bones of his neck and air was building up in the space between the lungs in his chest.
The man didn't need surgery but his case, the first known of which of its kind, is significant enough to have been used for research. It features in BMJ Case Reports , which states he suffered from allergic rhinitis typically known as hay fever , a common condition where the nose becomes irritated by something you’re allergic to, like pollen. Pollen levels are currently "very high" across most regions of England and Wales , especially across southern England.
They are set to remain at this level until Friday, the Met Office says. But trying to hold a sneeze could have disastrous consequences, Dr Rasads Nisirovs, of the University of Dundee, warned. He added: "Everyone should be advised not to stifle sneezes by pinching the nose while keeping the mouth closed as it can result in tracheal perforation.
" Hay fever, which affects around a quarter of British adults, can caus.