Chinese woman discovers she had chilli pepper stuck in her lung for six years
Patient unaware of the cause of her fevers and breathing problems until a full hospital check-up, Chinese newspaper reports
A woman in northwest China who suffered from fevers and breathing problems for six years discovered she had a 3cm-long chilli pepper lodged in one of her lungs, according to a newspaper report.
The cause of the woman’s ailments finally came to light after she went for a check-up at a hospital in Tongchuan in Shaanxi province, the China Business View reported.
The woman, 41, whose full name was not given, went to hospital last week after experiencing severe headaches and breathing difficulties.
Luo Lifeng, a doctor at the hospital, was quoted as saying he tried to take the chilli out of her right lung by using a probe.
He then decided he would have to operate instead because the lower part of the lung was already severely infected. Doctors successfully removed the chilli pepper last week, according to the report.
Doctors said swallowed foreign bodies in the airways were common in children aged under five, but rare in adults.
Luo was quoted as saying the woman probably inhaled the pepper while she was eating a meal.