“It was very much life-threatening,” Shone, a former competing piper, told the Guardian. Eventually it was discovered that he was suffering from a fungal infection that was triggered by organisms lurking inside his bagpipes. In 2013 the Glasgow-based College of Piping issued a warning after expert piper John Shone fell seriously ill with symptoms of breathlessness and weakness. It is not the first time that bagpipes have been hailed a health hazard. “It is likely spores from the fungi and mould that, when you inhale them, your body and your immune system react to them,” she said, adding that while not everyone would be susceptible to the spores, it is hard to predict who was likely to experience a reaction. “We isolated mould and fungi that are known to be associated with hypersensitivity pneumonitis and propose that was the likely cause of it,” said King. During his trip to Australia the man had temporarily abandoned his daily custom of playing the bagpipes, but had returned to playing them every day once back in the UK.Īn investigation of the bag, neck, stock and reed protector of the instrument yielded even stronger evidence that the bagpipes were at the root of the problem. Examining his history, the medical team discovered that the man had spent three months in Australia in 2011, during which time his health bounced back, before once again deteriorating upon his return to the UK.Ĭlose scrutiny of his habits offered a lead. However, a clue appeared after the patient was admitted to hospital in 2014. The case of the 61-year-old man initially baffled doctors, with common triggers of the lung disease, such as bird-keeping and household mould, ruled out. “Physicians should be aware of this potential risk factor and promote wind instrument hygiene,” they add. Writing in the journal Thorax, King and colleagues from the University Hospital of South Manchester warn that wind players should disinfect their musical instruments regularly with a brush and detergent. “Wind instrument hygiene is really important in preventing this and should be stringent in cleaning their instruments regularly.” She added that the warm, moist environment of wind instruments is an ideal breeding ground for such organisms. “ need to be aware that there are risks that instruments can become colonised with mould and fungi and this can be related to serious and potentially fatal lung disease,” said Dr Jenny King, first author of the study, of North Manchester general hospital. The case has led doctors to propose that “bagpipe lung” be added to the long list of alternative monikers for hypersensitivity pneumonitis, which is already known as “bird fancier’s lung”, “farmer’s lung” and even “hot tub lung” after the wide range of activities to which it has previously been linked. While the trigger for the disease was initially a mystery, a series of clues led doctors to discover that the cause was most likely a collection of fungi living inside the man’s bagpipes.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |