SNEEZING can be an annoying bodily function, but did you know it could also land you in the emergency department?
Last month, a 35-year-old man from California sneezed so violently that it caused him to suffer a life-threatening stroke.
Ian Applegate was racked by a series of explosive sneezes when he was sitting in his car with his wife Jennifer and their four-year-old son.
He knew something went seriously wrong on the third sneeze, after which he felt a sudden blinding headache and dizziness, followed by pins and needles on his left side.
As it turns out, the sneeze had caused him to tear the inner lining of the artery in his neck, which then caused a blood clot to develop and block blood flow to his brain, triggering a stroke.
Applegate was rushed to hospital, where doctors gave him blood-thinning medication to prevent further blood clots.
He is not in the clear yet though, and remains in hospital undergoing rehabilitative therapy to help retrain the muscles on his left side.
The engineer, who is soon to become a father-of-two, hopes to return home before the birth of his daughter in Apr.
"It was a pretty hard sneeze but I've never experienced anything like this in my life...I'm scared to sneeze now," Applegate said.
While rare, sneeze injuries are well documented, including broken ribs, burst lungs and brain tissue tears - best to always say 'bless you', just in case!
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 03 Mar 25
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