Man has lungs infected for sniffing his smelly socks everyday

Sniffing smelly socks is a trendy topic for funny videos online. But it may be a dangerous idea.

A man in China's Fujian Province has recently been diagnosed with a fungal lung infection, because of his habit of sniffing his socks every day after work.

Sniffing smelly socks is a trendy topic for funny videos online. But it may be a dangerous idea. [Photo: VCG]

According to PearVideo, the man in Zhangzhou, Fujian, went to his doctor's office as he had been coughing for a week. He was initially treated for pneumonia.

But his condition worsened after receiving treatment over the course of two weeks. The doctor then decided to do a lung puncture for further testing, and was astonished to find his lungs had been infected by fungus. He was finally diagnosed with pneumomycosis.

The doctor decided to do a lung puncture for further testing, and was astonished to find his lungs had been infected by fungus.[Screenshot from PearVideo report]

Checking into the cause for this, it was found the man's home and frequented hang-out spots were relatively clean. The man then admitted after he taking off his socks, he would sniff them everyday, with his feet possible carriers of the same fungus that was found in his lungs. The doctor suggested that he had been staying up late at night to take care of his baby before he started to cough. His lack of sleep might have lead to a decline in his immune system, which then led to the infection.

The man has been hospitalized for further treatment.