把噴嚏憋回去 可能引發身體損傷

When sitting in a quiet theatre or a packed train, stifling a sneeze by holding the nose and closing the mouth may seem like the courteous option.

當你坐在安靜的劇院或擁擠的列車上時，用捂鼻子或緊閉嘴巴的方法把噴嚏憋回去似乎是個有禮貌的選擇。

But doctors have warned against the polite practice, after a man ruptured the back of his throat while trying to contain the convulsive explosion of air.

但是醫生警告大家不要採取這種禮貌做法，因爲有一名男子正是因爲試圖把噴嚏憋回去而撕裂了喉嚨內側。

The 34-year-old was admitted to hospital barely able to swallow or speak after pinching his nose and clamping shut his mouth to stop a sneeze.

這名34歲的男子用捏鼻子和緊閉嘴巴的方式止住噴嚏後，在就醫時幾乎無法吞嚥或說話。

When doctors examined him they also heard strange popping and crackling sounds, which extended from his neck all the way down to his ribcage.

醫生對他進行檢查時，還能聽到奇怪的砰砰聲和噼啪聲，這種怪聲從他的脖子一直延伸到他的胸腔。

A scan confirmed that that air from his lungs had bubbled its way into the deep tissue and muscles of the chest when it could not escape.

經過掃描確認，該男子肺部的空氣因爲無處發泄從而跑進了胸部的深層組織和肌肉裏。

Ear, nose and throat specialists at the University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust released details of the man’s condition in BMJ Case Reports and warned that trying to contain a forceful sneeze could lead to ‘numerous complications’ and even a lethal brain aneurysm.

萊斯特大學信託保健附屬醫院的耳鼻喉專家在英國醫學期刊病例報告中發佈了該男子的病情細節，並警告說，試圖把強烈的噴嚏憋回去可能會導致“多種併發症”甚至致命的腦動脈瘤。

“Halting sneezing via blocking the nostrils and mouth is a dangerous manoeuvre, and should be avoided,” said lead author Dr Wanding Yang.

該報告的首席作者楊萬鼎（音）醫生說：“通過捂鼻子嘴巴的方式止住噴嚏是一種危險的方式，應該避免這麼做。”

"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).”

“這可能會導致多種併發症，比如假性縱膈（空氣滯留在兩肺間的胸腔中）、鼓膜穿孔，甚至腦動脈瘤（腫脹的腦血管）破裂。”

Doctors said the man’s condition was similar to Boerhaave’s syndrome in which the esophagus is torn as a result of intense retching or vomiting. But in his case the build up of pressure from the trapped sneeze caused a rupture higher up in the throat, at the pharynx, which is situated just behind the tongue.

醫生說，該男子的症狀與布爾哈夫氏綜合徵類似，該病的病因是食管因爲強烈的乾嘔或嘔吐而破裂。但在這名男子的病例中，無處可去的噴嚏積攢的壓力導致喉嚨更高處的咽部發生了破裂。咽部的位置就在舌頭後面。

Sneezes are powerful, travelling up to 200 mph, according to MIT scientists, with the power to eject debris up to 25 feet.

麻省理工學院的科學家指出，噴嚏的力量是強大的，時速可達200英里（約合322公里），可以將碎片射出25英尺（7.6米）遠。

Previously people have been admitted to hospital suffering from burst eardrums, ruptured blood vessels in the eyes, damaged facial nerves, pulled muscles and even cracked ribs from trying to contain the huge force.

先前曾出現過因試圖把噴嚏憋回去而導致鼓膜破裂、眼睛血管破裂、面部神經受損、肌肉拉傷甚至肋骨斷裂的病例。

Doctors say a sneeze, or sternutation, is intended to release foreign, and potentially damaging, particles, irritants or germs. Stopping it not only risks rupturing the throat, but could encourage the build of bacteria or trigger an asthma attack.

醫生說，打噴嚏的目的是釋放外來的具有潛在危害性的顆粒物、刺激物或細菌。止住噴嚏不但有撕裂喉嚨的風險，還可能助長細菌滋生或引發哮喘。

The patient was admitted to hospital where he was fed by a tube and given intravenous antibiotics until the swelling and pain had subsided.

這位病人在入院後，用管子進食並被靜脈注射抗生素，直到腫脹和疼痛消退。

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

在七天後，這名男子終於康復出院，得到的建議是今後打噴嚏時不要捂住兩個鼻孔。

And for people still needing to suppress a sneeze, experts advise rubbing the nose, breathing heavily through the nose, or rubbing the area above the lip.

對於那些需要憋住噴嚏的人，專家的建議是摩擦鼻子，通過鼻子使勁呼氣，或摩擦嘴脣上方區域。