NEET UG 2024 Topper Divyansh scores a perfect 720 despite suffering from pneumothorax; know more about the severe lung condition

On June 4, Divyansh — a native of Haryana’s Charkhi Dadri — emerged as All India Rank-1 by cracking the NEET UG 2024 with a perfect score of 720. The feat follows his battle with health issues like pneumothorax (a severe lung ailment) and dengue in July 2023. “After recovering from the lung condition, I contracted dengue. I was bedridden for a week due to dengue, and once I recovered, my mother fell ill. I took care of her and visited the hospital daily. Once everything was sorted, I restarted. It took about 10-15 days to get back on track. Other students were far ahead in the syllabus, but I focused on myself and followed my teachers’ guidance,” he shared in an exclusive interview with indianexpress.com.

Taking a cue from the medical challenges he faced while preparing for the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test, an entrance test for admission to undergraduate medical and paramedical courses offered in India, let’s understand more about pneumothorax.

What is pneumothorax?

Dr Nagesh Dhadge, consultant, pulmonology, Manipal Hospital, Baner, Pune said that pneumothorax is a lung rupture because of a puncture, causing it to deflate in its bag. “Something like what happens when the tube of a vehicle tyre ruptures,” he explained, adding that it may occur spontaneously or because of an underlying cause such as infection in the lung.

Symptoms

Common symptoms depend on the size of pneumothorax (amount of lung collapse in the chest).

“A small pneumothorax may not produce many symptoms. The patient may present with slight chest pain and breathlessness. But in extreme emergencies, one may present with profound breathlessness and dangerous fall in oxygen levels,” said Dr Dhadge.

Are you taking care of your lungs? (Source: Getty Images/Thinkstock)

Treatment

Usually, pulmonologists treat taking into account several factors. The treatment of pneumothorax may be of two types depending on the size.

“Small pneumothorax may need simple monitoring as most small-sized pneumothorax resolve within a week. Patients who suffer from breathlessness may need either needle aspiration of the air collected or a placement of a small tube in the chest cavity. The decision to treat depends on the size of air collected, symptoms of the patient, and underlying lung condition,” elucidated Dr Dhadge.

Prevention

Some patients who develop recurrent episodes have to undergo specialised procedures to prevent future risks. “Individuals with chronic lung diseases such as COPD, and interstitial lung disease are at a higher risk of developing rupture of the lung leading to pneumothorax. Also, individuals who are tall and thin are at greater risk,” said Dr Dhadge.

Some uncommon genetic illnesses of the lungs can also increase the risk of developing recurrent pneumothorax. “Susceptible individuals need to watch for sudden chest pain and breathlessness as a warning sign of pneumothorax,” said Dr Dhadge.

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