While it started as an old habit, smelling socks proved to be very expensive for a man from Chongqing, China. Identified as Li Qui by the media, the man regularly sniffed his dirty socks after a long day, leading to serious medical issues after he began experiencing severe coughing fits that led to bloodshot eyes.
Initially, Li took a few over-the-counter cough syrups, but as his symptoms worsened, doctors began a detailed investigation into his case. According to Dr. Liang Peiqiang, chief physician in the hospital’s Department of Respiratory Medicine, Li Qi’s CT and MRI scans revealed signs of inflammation and infection in the lower right lung. After a detailed bronchoscopy, it was confirmed he was suffering from a fungal lung infection caused by the Aspergillus fungus known as aspergillosis, which manifests in various forms – ranging from mild allergic reactions to serious, invasive infections-and affects your lungs, sinuses, and other organs. According to Dr. Peiqiang, Li’s sock-sniffing habit could have exposed his lungs to spores of the fungus. “After hearing what he said, we realized that this habit of Li Qi might be the culprit that caused his lung inflammation,” he noted, as per The Sun. Experts say apart from this bizarre habit, wearing shoes for a long time can form a closed, humid, and warm space, which makes it easy to breed fungi. And if you smell or absorb fungus-filled socks, the fungi may enter the lower respiratory tract through the mouth and nose. Medics said the patient responded well to anti-fungal medications and has since been discharged from the hospital.Bizarrely, this isn’t the first time a Chinese man has been hospitalised after smelling his own socks in similar circumstances. In a similar incident a few years back, a 37-year-old was also admitted to the hospital with a cough and chest pains after it was revealed he had been addicted to smelling the socks that he had been wearing.
What is aspergillosis?
According to doctors, aspergillosis is rare in healthy people, but patients with lung conditions like asthma or those with a weakened immune system, like cancer patients, are at higher risk. Aspergillus, the fungi that cause this infection, is usually found outdoors, in dead leaves, plants, soil, or compost. It is also occasionally found in moist environments indoors. Most people breathe in Aspergillus spores every day without getting sick. But in certain people, Aspergillus can cause allergic reactions, chronic lung conditions, and invasive disease that spreads to your brain, kidneys, lungs, or other organs. Types of aspergilloses include:
- Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis
- Aspergilloma
- Chronic pulmonary aspergillosis
- Invasive aspergillosis
Signs and symptoms of aspergillosis
Doctors say the symptoms of aspergillosis vary depending on the type and location in your body. A few of the common ones include:
- Severe coughing, sometimes even blood
- Breathlessness
- Noisy breathing and wheezing
- Chest pain
- High fever
- Fatigue
- Weight