A 26-year-old Chinese man suffered a lung collapse after he jogged for nearly 2.5 miles wearing a face mask in Wuhan, the original epicenter of the coronavirus pandemic. The jogger was rushed to the hospital where the doctors discovered a punctured left lung.
Wuhan, which reported the first case of coronavirus in December last year, is witnessing the second wave of the pandemic after being declared COVID-19 free. The global pandemic has led to many nations implementing the use of face masks while venturing outdoors.
What caused the lung to collapse?
Zhang Ping, the Wuhan resident, was rushed to the Wuhan central hospital after he reported of breathless and severe chest pain while jogging.
In a statement posted on Weibo, China's version of Twitter, the officials of the Wuhan Central Hospital said Zhang suffered from chest pain and shortness of breath on Thursday. 'Upon examination, doctors found his left lung had compressed by 90 percent and his heart was moved to the right side of his body.
The patient underwent surgery and was listed in stable condition, said the statement. It further went on to state that the authorities believed that Zhang's life-threatening condition was a result of wearing a mask while running.
The Wuhan Central Hospital further revealed that the 26-year-old, who started running two weeks ago to improve his physical fitness post lockdown, was initially jogging for 1.86 miles per day but increased the running distance to 3.73 miles after a week.
Experts warn against the use of face mask during physical exercise
The education authorities in China has banned the school students from wearing face masks during their Physical Education lesson due to the health risks involved. The move comes after the death of two schoolboys in China who reportedly collapsed after they were forced to participate in a physical education class while wearing face masks.
Quoting health experts, Daily Mail reported that people should avoid wearing face masks while exercising as the face-coverings could obstruct the circulation of oxygen in the body, leading to several medical conditions.
Quoting Dr Chen Baojun, a chief medic from the Wuhan hospital, the publication reported that being a very tall and quite thin, the 26-year-old youth was already more susceptible to the condition. "But the mishap was directly caused by the sudden increase of pressure in Mr Zhang's lung due to intense running while wearing the face-covering," said Dr Chen.
Medically known as pneumothorax, a collapsed lung usually occurs when it is punctured and air escapes into the chest cavity.
