a foul odor reveals a bullet stuck in his nose for eight years

An ordinary nasal congestion can hide a much more unexpected medical case. That’s what doctors at a San Antonio hospital in Texas learned when they encountered a 15-year-old boy complaining of a blocked nose. The latter describes curious symptoms to them: in addition to the nose being blocked on both sides, he notices a loss of smell, difficulty breathing as well as vision problems. Doctors initially put these symptoms down to a seasonal allergy and prescribed antihistamines, a saline solution to rinse his nose and a nasal spray with steroidssteroids. It is recommended that he consult within four to six weeks later.

A pungent and nauseating smell that invades the room every time he blows his nose

But it was not until a year later that the teenager showed up at the hospital again. In addition to the initial symptoms which have not disappeared, this time he complains ” a pungent and nauseating odor that invades the room every time he blows his nose “. He explains that he does not smell his bad breath himself, but admits to being embarrassed by the inconvenience caused. Doctors practice endoscopyendoscopy nasal, which reveals nothing particular. Taken aback, they then continued their investigations with a to scanto scan and were surprised to discover a 9 millimeter bullet lodged in the lower left nasal cavity. Over time, this foreign body caused calcificationcalcification which gradually blocked the nose. “ The bullet blocked the drainagedrainage natural nose, due to the accumulation of debris and bacteriabacteria in the mucusmucus », explains to LiveScience Dylan Z. Erwin, one of the doctors who described this patient’s case in the journal JAMA Otolaryngology–Head & Neck Surgery. This is undoubtedly what also caused the nauseating odor described by the patient when he blew his nose.

A BB gun bullet received around the age of eight

The doctors carried out theablationablation of the foreign body and the aspiration of the calcified tissues by nasal endoscopy, then administered a decongestant to the teenager, who escaped with some nosebleeds. After discussion, the patient admits to having received a ball gun bullet “ when he was 8 or 9 years old “. But at the time, he did not experience any symptoms and his parents did not consider it necessary to have him examined. It was only seven years later, when the nasal obstruction began to become bothersome, that he decided to seek medical advice.

The intrusion of objects into the nose, a common cause of consultation in children

“ Foreign bodies in the nasal passages may seem harmless, but they can cause diagnostic and therapeutic difficulties. This is a relatively common reason for emergencies in children. », underlines the APHM pediatric ENT service. There are around 700 cases per year in France, most of the time between two or three years. “ The most common symptoms are nasal obstruction, fetid muco-purulent rhinorrhea sometimes muco-bloody, painpain facial and sneezing episodes “.

Pebbles, peanuts and matches

The diversity of objects found by doctors is limitless: pearls in plasticplasticpebbles, sponge fragments, rubber bands, balls of paper, erasers, matchesmatches, deciduous teethdeciduous teeth, peanutspeanuts, button batteriesbutton batteries… The latter are potentially the most dangerous because they can cause chemical burns. Cases are usually mild, and the object can be removed using special forceps or by endoscopy. “ L’General anaesthesiaGeneral anaesthesia is necessary when a rhinolith (calcification around the object) has formed or if the foreign body has slipped towards the rear of the nasal cavity with a risk of obstruction of the respiratory tract by inhalationinhalation », notes the MSD site.

On the other hand, it is extremely rare to stay for eight years with a metal bullet lodged in the nose. “ It is fortunate that the bullet did not cause toxic effects or that the infection did not spread », conclude the San Antonio doctors.