An Austrian man who had been smoking a pack of cigarettes daily for 30 years developed a rare condition of hair growing inside his throat. This was only the second reported case of its kind.
Although the precise reasons for this condition remain unclear, medical professionals suspect that the man’s smoking habit was the trigger.
According to a report published in the American Journal of Case Reports, the patient first sought medical attention in 2007, reporting breathing difficulties, a persistent cough, and a hoarse voice.A bronchoscopy revealed inflammation and multiple hairs in the man’s throat, specifically in an area where he had undergone surgery following a near-drowning incident during his childhood. He was diagnosed with endotracheal hair growth.
Doctors initially removed the hairs by plucking them out, which provided temporary relief but did not prevent regrowth. The patient returned to the hospital annually for 14 years, presenting with the same symptoms. Typically, six to nine 2-inch hairs were found in his throat, with some extending through his voice box and into his mouth. The hairs were covered in bacteria, necessitating antibiotic treatment in addition to removal.
The issue was finally resolved when the man quit smoking, and doctors performed an endoscopic argon plasma coagulation to burn the root from which the hair was growing. A second coagulation procedure the following year successfully prevented the hairs from regrowing in his throat.
Although the precise reasons for this condition remain unclear, medical professionals suspect that the man’s smoking habit was the trigger.
According to a report published in the American Journal of Case Reports, the patient first sought medical attention in 2007, reporting breathing difficulties, a persistent cough, and a hoarse voice.A bronchoscopy revealed inflammation and multiple hairs in the man’s throat, specifically in an area where he had undergone surgery following a near-drowning incident during his childhood. He was diagnosed with endotracheal hair growth.
Doctors initially removed the hairs by plucking them out, which provided temporary relief but did not prevent regrowth. The patient returned to the hospital annually for 14 years, presenting with the same symptoms. Typically, six to nine 2-inch hairs were found in his throat, with some extending through his voice box and into his mouth. The hairs were covered in bacteria, necessitating antibiotic treatment in addition to removal.
The issue was finally resolved when the man quit smoking, and doctors performed an endoscopic argon plasma coagulation to burn the root from which the hair was growing. A second coagulation procedure the following year successfully prevented the hairs from regrowing in his throat.