A man in China was taken to a hospital after he developed a severe lung infection from reportedly sniffing his socks at the end of a long day’s work.
The 37-year-old man, surnamed Peng, would come home from his job in Zhangzhou, Fujian province and became obsessed with smelling his socks that he had been wearing all day.
Doctors believe that a fungus that had developed in the patient’s footwear spread to his lungs when he inhaled deeply.
“The infection could also be attributed to the patient’s lack of rest at home as he had looking after his child, leading to a weaker immune system,” Dr. Mai Zhuanying at the Zhangzhou No. 909 Hospital explained.
Peng was treated and is expected to make a full recovery.
Netizens shared similar habits of sniffing their socks and were concerned about their health.
“The reason I smell my socks is to know if I can continue wearing them the next day!” one user commented.
“The reason I smell my socks is to know if I can continue wearing them the next day!” another wrote.
“I promise I’ll wash my socks every day now,” another said.
There’s even a hashtag, “lung infection caused by sniffing of smelly socks,” which garnered more than 65 millions on Weibo as of Friday, according to the Daily Mail.
