20-year-old man admitted to ICU due to rare lung injury from masturbation

While that headline might seem bizarre to you, it is true! A 20-year-old man in Switzerland has been recently admitted to the intensive care unit of a hospital as he is suffering from a rare lung injury. Surprisingly, the cause for this lung injury is masturbation.

According to a study published in the medical journal Radiology Case Reports, the young man felt a “sudden onset of sharp chest pain followed by shortness of breath while lying in bed masturbating.”

As the man has a history of mild asthma, he immediately rushed to the Cantonal Hospital in Winterthur after feeling a gush of pain in his chest.

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Thereafter, the doctors did a chest x-ray which unveiled that he is suffering from subcutaneous emphysema (SPM), which is a rare condition. Based on reports, this condition is triggered by violent coughing, excessive vomiting, and strenuous physical exercise.

Patients suffering from this rare condition are likely to suffer from air leaks out of their lungs, which can get trapped in the rib cage.

The authors of the study - Dr Nikola Rajic and Dr Christian Schandl said that this condition “mostly affects young men and generally follows a benign and self-limiting course.”

“Specific therapy is not necessary, although supporting care and short-term observation for respiratory compromise are reasonable,” they said.

The case is reportedly unusual as “there are only a few reports of SPM related to sexual activity”. As per the authors, they have not been able to find any cases associated with autoeroticism.

To treat the patient’s test pain, doctors had given him paracetamol and kept him under observation in the ICU. After that, he was shifted to the general ward and discharged a couple of days later.