The silent threat: How tiny nose piercings can end up in your lungs

Kochi: A stud from a missing nose piercing was found lodged in a patient’s lungs during a hospital examination. Over the past two weeks, three women have undergone bronchoscopy at Amrita Hospital in Ernakulam to remove the stud that had slipped into their lungs while they were asleep.

In one case, a thin, thread-like stud remained in the lungs of a woman from Kannur for four years. The issue came to light only during a medical check-up after she began coughing.

A 44-year-old woman from Perumbavoor, Ernakulam, and a 31-year-old woman from Kottayam also discovered the stud during routine health screenings before travelling abroad. When the stud went missing, all three assumed it had simply fallen off and gone unnoticed.

Very thin, thread-style nose piercings are emerging as a medical concern, doctors say. These lightweight ornaments can accidentally enter the airway while sneezing or sleeping, leading to potentially serious complications. Hospitals have reported a rise in such cases, and the growing trend of nose piercings among men may increase the risk further.

“We are seeing more patients with this issue recently,” said Dr Tinku Joseph, Head of Interventional Pulmonology at Amrita Hospital, Kochi.