Getting a tattoo sounds exciting and adventurous, but it does come with a lot of risks. Not only you might later regret the permanent ink, but there are also chances of getting an allergic reaction, infection, inflammation, and more. So, when you decide you want to turn your body into an art gallery, better do detailed research on all the dangers that might strike.
A case of a 35-year-old man left specialists speechless.
Experts at Fukuoka University Hospital in Japan linked symptoms including hearing loss, lung lesions, and eye inflammation, to the recent tattoo the patient got, Science Alert reveals.
Credits: BMJ Case Reports
The man was admitted to the Department of Ophthalmology after suffering abnormal vision for several months. He was diagnosed with an inflammatory condition called uveitis, which affects the middle layer of tissue in the eye’s wall called the uvea. However, the patient didn’t show any obvious signs of trauma or infection that could be directly connected to the condition.
Medical professionals were baffled with the man’s case. It was described in a recent study published in BMJ Case Reports.
The doctors suspected the swelling and redness could be triggered by accumulations of inflammatory cells called granulomas. They determined the condition to be sarcoidosis, which is associated with an immune response, but its trigger isn’t always obvious.
Not long after being treated for sarcoidosis, the man returned to the hospital with another symptom – hearing loss in both ears.
Doctors explained this unexpected symptom with the fact that in some rare cases, the granuloma parties can accumulate around nerves in the skull and around the face, interfering with hearing. Luckily, the medics managed to clear up both the eye inflammation and the hearing troubles, treating the patient with corticosteroids.
However, the professionals were still trying to figure out the cause. They eventually decided to take a look at the man’s recent back tattoo.
To their surprise, the medics discovered signs of granulomas in the skin eruptions within the tattoo’s inked lines. Although it’s not uncommon for tattoos to trigger reactions in hypersensitive individuals, this case was indeed startling.
Fortunately, the corticosteroids treatment worked once again.
Even though the link between the man’s back tattoo and sarcoidosis isn’t confirmed beyond all doubt, experts advise signs of granulomas in relatively recent ink should be a reason to look for signs of inflammation elsewhere in the body.
So, before you get your significant other’s name tattooed on your chest, make sure you’ve done proper research, and you choose a decent studio with trustworthy tattoo artists.