Chronic abuse of hairspray by inhalation and sudden death of a 20-year-old woman

Abstract

Severe morphological findings due to long-term and excessive inhalation of hairspray are rarely described. We present the case of a 20-year-old woman who was found lifeless in her room unexpected. She was known for inhalating hairspray since the age of fourteen, consuming up to 10 hairspray cans per day prior to death. Histological investigations showed lungs with fibrosing alveolitis and an increased number of macrophages but rare foreign body reaction (so called „hairspray-lung“) although foreign material was present. Surprisingly there were also numerous conidiae found in the lungs. Independent from the pathological findings in the lungs, myocardium presents a focal myocarditis with single cell necrosis and a lympho-monocytic infiltration as cause of death.