Doctors Issue Warning After Man Tears His Throat By Trying to Stop a Sneeze

A man pinched his nose and closed his mouth to stifle a sneeze, which can increase the pressure in the upper airways by up to 20 times

Doctors are warning people not to hold back their sneezes after a man ended up in the hospital.

A man in his 30s from the United Kingdom was driving in his car when he had a sneezing episode. He attempted to stifle the sneezes by pinching his nose and closing his mouth. Immediately, he started experiencing severe neck pain.

The patient, who has a history of allergic rhinitis (hay fever) and nasal congestion, was taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee, Scotland. In addition to the pain, the man's neck was swollen and had minimal range of movement.

Following an X-ray and CT, scans showed the man suffered a tear in the trachea, also known as the windpipe.

Doctors on the case — which is documented in the BMJ Case Reports medical journal — explained that if the mouth and nose are closed during a sneeze, the pressure in the upper airways can increase by up to 20 times.

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

A spontaneous tracheal perforation, or a sudden tear of the throat, is a rare and potentially life-threatening condition. The patient didn’t require surgery and was reportedly given painkillers and hay fever medication after being discharged 48 hours later.

Doctors also told the patient to avoid strenuous physical activities for 2 weeks. During a 5-week check up, another CT scan showed that the tear had healed.

Dr Rasads Misirovs, lead author of the report, told BBC Scotland News that people should always let their sneezes out.

Sneezing helps protect the body from allergens, germs, and irritants, according to Health. In addition to a tear of the throat, holding back a sneeze can lead to a ruptured eardrum, rupture of blood vessels to the eye or nose, rupture of a brain aneurysm or rib fractures.

"We should gently cover the face either with our hand or inner side of the elbow to prevent the irritants such as viruses, together with saliva, mucus reaching others around us,” Misirovs said.

"I personally have used another technique by pressing a thumb on my upper lip, just under the nose, without blocking nasal passages for a few seconds - that works for me,” he added. "By leaving nasal passages open, the sneeze can escape if the stifling does not work."

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.