A Chinese man who had developed a habit of smelling his dirty socks after wearing them for a whole day has been diagnosed with fungal lung infection.
A middle-aged office worker from Chonqing, whose name was not revealed by the media, was recently admitted to the Southwest Hospital of the Army Medical University with a persistent cough. The man told doctors that his cough had worsened in recent days despite taking cough syrup and that his eyes had become bloodshot, which prompted him to seek medical assistance. After conducting CT and MRI examinations, doctors found suspicious shadows in his lower right lung, and a subsequent bronchoscopy showed that the patient suffered from a fungal lung disease caused by an Aspergillus infection. Upon questioning him about the possible causes of the infection, the doctors learned that the man had developed a habit of smelling his own dirty socks.
Photo: BareKind/Unsplash
While questioning the unnamed patient about his home and how good the air circulation was there, doctor Liang Peiqiang, attending physician of the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Southwest Hospital, learned that the man used to smell his dirty socks every time he came home from work, before throwing them in the washing machine. After taking a pair of his dirty socks and analyzing it, doctors found traces of Aspergillus and determined that his unhygienic habit was the cause of the infection.
Worn socks contain sweat, salt, urea, and the warm and humid environment inside the shoe promotes fungal growth. Smelling dirty socks, even if they are your own, comes with an increased risk of inhaling dangerous fungus and bacteria. If they get past the nose and throat, they can end up in the lungs and cause fungal infections that may have long-term consequences.
0 Comments