A 57-year-old Australian man from Geelong (Victoria), faced a very disturbing condition that would leave many shuddering. The old man was the victim of a rare condition known as the tourniquet syndrome. Largely caused by the lack of personalhygiene this man had to pay a heavy and painful price for his carelessness.
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The story of the man was examined in a study published in the journalUrology Case Reports.
The dangers of tourniquet syndrome
This condition developed gradually, as the man did not take care of his personal hygiene. For instance, he urinated in a sitting position, which resulted in an extreme buildup of grime, dander, and hair around the man’s penis. The hair was matted to such an extent that it formed heavy knots around his groin.
The constant pain from the pulling of the hair finally got the man’s attention, which left him running to an emergency room. After the check-up, medics were horrified to see the man’s penis head severely strangled from being tangled in knots of pubic hair.
Typically, tourniquet syndrome occurs when a hair or thread wraps around a finger, toe, or in this case a genital organ. It is most commonly seen in children and infants and can cut off the blood supply. Some cases may require surgery or amputation.
The condition of the man
The man was finally admitted to the emergency room at the Geelong University Hospital. after experiencing agonizing pain in his groin. He also suffered many chronic illnesses such as anxiety, depression, type 2 diabetes, and high blood pressure.
After an extensive examination, the doctors observed that he had severe penile injuries and scarring. Moreover, the tip of his penis was nearly split into half due to the strangulation from his own pubic hair.
The doctors decided to perform a surgery in order to remove the damaged tissue and salvage what they could. However, the stubborn man did not learn his lesson and left the medical premises discreetly right after his surgery.
He also did not follow medical instructions for his recovery and had to undergo surgery again two weeks later. During this operation, the doctors also circumcised him as a precaution.
As per the doctors, this whole situation could have been avoided had he practiced personal hygiene. His personal care was sloppy and poor.
British urologist, Dr. Rich Viney commented to the Daily Mail:
The delay in diagnosis will have caused the situation to deteriorate considerably, with blood being able to flow into the glans penis but not being able to flow out - easily causing swelling that would further aggravate the constriction.
The reality is that this could have been avoided if the patient had undertaken proper penile hygiene and washed under his foreskin regularly.
Doctors believe that this 'fortunately very rare' case could serve as a warning to all men.
This article has been translated from Gentside FR.
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