Smoking can have many terrible side effects, but that of an Upper Austrian really surprised the doctors: the patient had hair growth in his trachea. This was noticed when he coughed up a two-inch hair.
Will this terrifying, if rare, side effect of tobacco soon be printed as a warning on cigarette packs? These images taken by doctors in Linz of a patient’s trachea certainly have the potential to be a deterrent. Hair several centimeters long grew on his neck. Not surprisingly, these had caused the man problems.
“We suspect that the onset of hair growth was caused by the patient’s cigarette smoking,” the research team told the American Journal of Case Reports. The 52-year-old had been smoking for 32 years.
After a coughing fit, he spit out two inches of hair
In 2006, he first turned to doctors for complaints. He suffered from hoarseness, shortness of breath at night and a chronic cough. After one of these coughing fits, he spat out a hair two inches long – which led to extensive tests.
The problems arose from the Austrian’s accident: at the age of ten he nearly drowned and his larynx was injured when he was rescued. The boy needed a tracheotomy, which could not be closed until 3.5 years later. He then suffered from a bacterial infection that also caused tissue death. A transplant with ear cartilage and skin followed.
In addition, plaques and crusts are noted in the throat
After many years, the hair had grown exactly in the area affected by the transplant. The doctors also discovered inflammation of the trachea, plaques and crusts. The hairs were plucked out and plaques and crusts were removed. The patient was treated with antibiotics and antifungal drugs. After a few weeks, her health had improved considerably. The medication could be stopped.
The hair continued to grow in the mouth
But hair growth was still a problem. “Six to nine endotracheal hairs up to five centimeters long were repeatedly removed,” the doctors reported. Some even grew past the vocal cords and reached the oral cavity. The patient had to have them epilated regularly – after a while the plaques and crusts returned.
Hair roots destroyed by heat treatment
The doctors eventually applied the process of argon plasma coagulation – for example, this also stops bleeding due to heat. The hair roots were eventually successfully destroyed; it took several applications.
Quitting smoking during transplant is “critical”
The changes in smoking habits may also have helped: “It is notable that in the patient presented in this case, extra- and intrathoracic airflow also improved significantly after the patient stopped smoking,” the researchers noted. Therefore, smoking cessation in patients “receiving airway skin/cartilage grafts is likely critical,” the report concluded.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
