A 52-year-old Austrian man was found to have developed an extremely unusual medical condition – hair growing inside his throat. According to doctors from the country who documented this rare case, the man had a history of heavy smoking for over 30 years. This constant exposure to cigarette smoke is believed to have led to the abnormal hair growth in his respiratory tract.
The patient first approached doctors over 16 years ago in 2007 with persistent symptoms like chronic cough, breathing difficulties and throat irritation. Examinations at the time revealed inflammation in the throat along with multiple hair strands growing in the area. He informed the medical team that he had coughed out a 5cm long hair on one occasion. Further questioning unveiled that the man had been a pack-a-day smoker for nearly three decades since 1990.
Doctors discovered that he had undergone a surgery to open the windpipe (trachea) as a child. The site where the opening was later closed using tissue grafts became the location for the unusual hair growth years later. For more than a decade and half, the patient visited hospitals annually to get the problematic hairs removed through a mild medical procedure. Physicians linked the condition directly to his long-term smoking habit which likely caused damage to tissues over the long term.
Significantly, once he finally quit cigarettes in 2022, the condition appeared to subside. The tracheal area was also treated using a minimally invasive technique involving cauterization of the hairs to prevent regrowth. This case highlights the potential risks of prolonged smoking and how it can precipitate even rare health complications by altering body tissues over the passing decades. Anyone experiencing recurrent throat symptoms should consult an expert to rule out similar underlying causes. Maintaining a smoke-free life remains important for overall well-being.
