It is highly unlikely that something like a simple sneeze can cause something fatal like herniated lungs or ejected bowels. Well, that is the sad reality that people who have undergone abdominal surgery have to contend with. For people with a surgical scar that is not healing correctly then, sneezing has to be one of their worst fears if they are to avoid further complications.
Sneezing is usually a defense mechanism that helps keep harmful substances, like dust, bacteria, and viruses, from entering our lungs. The reaction involves shutting the eyes, closing the throat and lips, and chest muscles working to squeeze the lungs to expel air from the lungs forcefully. While sneezing is generally beneficial, it can occasionally lead to more injuries than people might think.
For example, forceful sneezing can lead to the lung slipping through the intercostal muscles between the ribs, usually at a weak spot. This usually occurs due to severe obesity, long-term lung disease, diabetes, or smoking. Additionally, sneezing can cause the fragile tissues of the lungs to rupture. This occurs when the high-pressure air from deep in the lungs forces its way into the space between the chest and the lung, squeezing the lung on one or both sides of the chest.
The lungs aren’t the only organs at risk. There have been reports of sneezing causing the delicate membrane of the brain to tear, resulting in a subarachnoid haemorrhage and a type of stroke. Even if the delicate membrane isn’t torn, a sneeze can still impact the brain, with reports of individuals experiencing weakness on one side of their body or visual disturbances after sneezing.
Sneezing can also increase blood pressure, potentially leading to other severe injuries to the blood vessels. If not treated, this condition has a 50% death rate within 48 hours of onset. There are also reports of people breaking the bones around their eyes from sneezing. This type of fracture, known as a blow-out fracture, is usually caused by blunt force trauma – often from a ball sport like golf, tennis, or baseball hitting the eye.