- Joined
- Jul 16, 2008
- Messages
- 21,839
- Points
- 113
[Medical] - Inhaling Vicks VapoRub causes Pneumonia (due to inhaled oil deposited inside lungs). The medical term for this condition is "exogenous lipoid pneumonia".
Vicks VapoRub is a popular ointment that is commonly applied to treat aches, coughs and even nose blockages.
However, a recent Facebook post by one Hawa J Edriss from the United States suggests that users should not inhale or apply Vicks VapoRub to their nostrils.
Here’s why.
Man applied Vicks VapoRub on nostrils for more than 10 years
On Dec. 28, 2019, Edriss, a Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician who works at Saint Joseph Hospital in the USA, took to Facebook to share about a middle-aged man whom she had treated.
According to her, the man had been chronically applying Vick’s VapoRub gel on his nostrils for more than 10 years to provide relief for nasal congestion.
In recent years, he had sought help from the health care system for respiratory distress and had been diagnosed with pneumonia on each occasion.
Two CT chest images that were taken six months apart showed how he was wrongly diagnosed with infectious pneumonia and wrongly treated with antibiotics.
Applying Vicks VapoRub on nostrils can cause lung opacities within hours
According to Edriss, the accurate diagnosis should have been exogenous lipoid pneumonia, an uncommon and under-diagnosed condition.
Caused by inhalation or aspiration of animal fat or vegetal or mineral oil, exogenous lipoid pneumonia can manifest radiologically within 30 minutes of aspiration or inhalation, and lung opacities can appear in most patients within 24 hours.
Because Vicks VapoRub contains a variety of oil-based materials such as petrolatum, eucalyptus oil, cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, thymol and turpentine oil, it should not be inhaled or applied on nostrils.
A separate article from The Seattle Times also confirms that applying Vicks VapoRub on one’s nostrils may cause lung inflammation.
Here is an example they cited.
You can view Edriss’ full post here:
A middle aged man who chronically applies Vick’s VapoRub gel nasally for many years > 10 years for nasal congestion, presented multiple times to the health care system with respiratory distress and presumptively diagnosed with pneumonia in each occasion.
***The accurate diagnosis is EXOGENOUS LIPOID PNEUMONIA.
Detailed history always a key. The two CT chest images showed below are taken 6 months apart , in both times the patient was diagnosed with infectious pneumonia and tr...eated with antibiotics (wrong diagnosis and treatment).
***Exogenous lipoid pneumonia is uncommon, under diagnosed. It is caused by inhalation or aspiration of animal fat or vegetable or mineral oil. It can manifest radiologically within 30 minutes of the event of aspiration or inhalation, and lung opacities can be appear in most patients within 24 hours. The opacities are typically ground-glass or consolidative, bilateral, and segmental or lobar in distribution and predominantly involve the middle and lower lobes.
***Don’t apply Vick’s or any oil based materials to your nostrils. It contains petrolatum, eucalyptus oil, cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, petrolatum, thymol and turpentine oil.
https://mothership.sg/2020/01/vicks-vaporub-lung-opacities/
Vicks VapoRub is a popular ointment that is commonly applied to treat aches, coughs and even nose blockages.
However, a recent Facebook post by one Hawa J Edriss from the United States suggests that users should not inhale or apply Vicks VapoRub to their nostrils.
Here’s why.
Man applied Vicks VapoRub on nostrils for more than 10 years
On Dec. 28, 2019, Edriss, a Pulmonary and Critical Care Physician who works at Saint Joseph Hospital in the USA, took to Facebook to share about a middle-aged man whom she had treated.
According to her, the man had been chronically applying Vick’s VapoRub gel on his nostrils for more than 10 years to provide relief for nasal congestion.
In recent years, he had sought help from the health care system for respiratory distress and had been diagnosed with pneumonia on each occasion.
Two CT chest images that were taken six months apart showed how he was wrongly diagnosed with infectious pneumonia and wrongly treated with antibiotics.
Applying Vicks VapoRub on nostrils can cause lung opacities within hours
According to Edriss, the accurate diagnosis should have been exogenous lipoid pneumonia, an uncommon and under-diagnosed condition.
Caused by inhalation or aspiration of animal fat or vegetal or mineral oil, exogenous lipoid pneumonia can manifest radiologically within 30 minutes of aspiration or inhalation, and lung opacities can appear in most patients within 24 hours.
Because Vicks VapoRub contains a variety of oil-based materials such as petrolatum, eucalyptus oil, cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, thymol and turpentine oil, it should not be inhaled or applied on nostrils.
A separate article from The Seattle Times also confirms that applying Vicks VapoRub on one’s nostrils may cause lung inflammation.
Here is an example they cited.
You can view Edriss’ full post here:
A middle aged man who chronically applies Vick’s VapoRub gel nasally for many years > 10 years for nasal congestion, presented multiple times to the health care system with respiratory distress and presumptively diagnosed with pneumonia in each occasion.
***The accurate diagnosis is EXOGENOUS LIPOID PNEUMONIA.
Detailed history always a key. The two CT chest images showed below are taken 6 months apart , in both times the patient was diagnosed with infectious pneumonia and tr...eated with antibiotics (wrong diagnosis and treatment).
***Exogenous lipoid pneumonia is uncommon, under diagnosed. It is caused by inhalation or aspiration of animal fat or vegetable or mineral oil. It can manifest radiologically within 30 minutes of the event of aspiration or inhalation, and lung opacities can be appear in most patients within 24 hours. The opacities are typically ground-glass or consolidative, bilateral, and segmental or lobar in distribution and predominantly involve the middle and lower lobes.
***Don’t apply Vick’s or any oil based materials to your nostrils. It contains petrolatum, eucalyptus oil, cedarleaf oil, nutmeg oil, petrolatum, thymol and turpentine oil.
https://mothership.sg/2020/01/vicks-vaporub-lung-opacities/
