The Habit Of Sniffing Socks Can Contribute To Hospitalization

The habit of sniffing socks can contribute to hospitalization

Strange habits can not only surprise others, but also significantly spoil your health. In China, the systematic sniffing of his socks contributed to the serious illness of a man, his doctors suggest.

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Strange habits can not only surprise others, but also significantly spoil your health. In China, the systematic sniffing of his socks contributed to the serious illness of a man, his doctors suggest.

A 37-year-old resident of China, who is called Peng in the media, told doctors about an unusual habit, seemingly harmless. Every day after work, he liked to sniff his worn socks. Over time, however, it seemed that this oddity is unsafe. Some time later, he, who lives in Zhangzhou city in the Chinese province of Fujian, was admitted to hospital with bouts of chest pains, shortness of breath and coughing.

Doctors suspected he had bacterial pneumonia, but after the course of treatment the symptoms did not stop, there was no improvement. Further examination revealed that Peng had developed a serious fungal infection in his lungs.

When the doctors questioned Pen again and learned about his daily habit of sniffing his socks, they realized that the fungal disease diagnosed in him could be caused by inhaling fungal spores contained in the wet fibers of his dirty socks.

Although it is difficult to prove that his strange habit was indeed the source of this disease, doctors concluded that this was the most reasonable explanation. They add that the development of the disease could aggravate lack of sleep, which weakened his immunity.

“The infection can also be related to the patient's lack of rest at home, as he was caring for his child, which led to a weakening of his immune system,” explained Mai Zhuanying, one of his treating doctors.

Once the infection was diagnosed, Peng was hospitalized. He is expected to make a full recovery.

One can only assume that this experience will force him to abandon the described habit, and perhaps other people should also think about it. After the case got publicized in the Chinese media, comments began to appear on social media suggesting that Peng was not alone in this habit.