sneezing aneurysm

Is there any such thing as a sneezing aneurysm you may ask? Can suppressing a sneeze give you a brain aneurysm? Well the answer to both is yes it could happen, but to qualify it, the chances are very slim. If you try to suppress a sneeze, you can rupture blood vessels in the head or neck, bringing about a sneezing aneurysm and the distinct possibility of death. Many will remember their Mother's warning that stifling a sneeze is dangerous. They may well have been thinking something not quite so serious as an aneurysm, but by suppressing a sneeze harm can come to the ears. If the mouth is closed and nose pinched shut, the sneeze is forced into the eustachian tube (which connects the back of the throat to the middle ear) and then to your eardrum. Sneeze strong enough, and you could rupture an eardrum, causing acute pain, infection, bleeding, and even hearing loss, and worst case - a sneezing aneurysm. This is because of something called the Valsalva manoeuvre, better known as a way of relieving pain in the ears caused by a rapid change in elevation. The Valsalva manoeuvre increases pressure in the chest, it also briefly blocks the blood flow entering the heart, causing a sharp fluctuation in blood pressure and conceivably causing an aneurysm. So by holding in a sneeze you run the risk of fractures in the nasal cartilage, heavy nosebleeds, burst eardrums, detached retinas, temporary swelling called facial emphysema, even fatal strokes and a sneezing aneurysm.