ENGLAND — It’s a warning you’ve probably heard before: Avoid using those cotton swabs to clean out your ears.
And this is why: Doctors in the U.K. say part of a cotton swab got stuck in a man’s ear for years, causing all sorts of health issues.
They wrote about the medical mystery in BMJ Case Reports.
The 31-year-old man was rushed to a hospital in England after he was having seizures and collapsed, TODAY reports.
Before that, he reportedly experienced headaches, vomiting, and he was given antibiotics by a doctor to treat what was, at that time, thought to be a bad ear infection.
After being rushed to the hospital and put under, doctors learned the infection went to the bone at the base of the skull and into the lining of his brain. The report notes the condition is usually seen in “elderly patients with diabetes or immunodeficiency” not in someone so young.
Doctors then reportedly found the tip of a cotton swab in the man’s ear and removed it.
He was treated with antibiotics. After 10 weeks, he was doing much better with no more symptoms, the report stated.
