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Emerg Med J 2005;22:756-757 doi:10.1136/emj.2004.014829
  • Case report

Acute aortic dissection provoked by sneeze: a case report

  1. A Baydin1,
  2. M S Nural2,
  3. H Güven1,
  4. T Deniz1,
  5. F Bildik1,
  6. A Karaduman1
  1. 1Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey
  2. 2Department of Radiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, Samsun, Turkey
  1. Correspondence to:
 Dr A Baydin
 Department of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Ondokuz Mayis University, 55139 Samsun, Turkey; abaydin{at}omu.edu.tr
  • Accepted 29 March 2004

Abstract

The response of the abdominal viscera and the contraction of the intercostal muscles during the respiratory phase of sneezing increases intrathoracic pressure, which may lead to several complications. However, there are no reports in the literature concerning aortic dissection after sneezing. We report a patient in whom the development of dissection was secondary to sneezing, although hypertension was present as a risk factor, and we discuss the relationship between sneezing and aortic dissection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of aortic dissection provoked by sneezing in the literature.

Footnotes

  • Competing interests: none declared

  • Presented at the First National Emergency Medicine Congress, 22–25 October 2003, Konya, Turkey.

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