The lethal love bite: how a hickey can give you a stroke

While we are all for experimenting with our partners, ‘have fun, but not too much’ just got a whole new meaning.

This was apparent when a 17-year-old boy in Mexico reportedly died from a stroke, caused by a love bite planted on him by his girlfriend.

“Hickies causing strokes are extremely rare but a handful of cases have been reported in medical literature,” said Dr S Venkatesh, Lead Consultant (Interventional Cardiology), Aster R V Hospital, Bengaluru.

So, before you get frisky tonight, check out how a hickey can end up giving you a stroke, why it happens, and how you can avoid such a lethal fate.

The carotid arteries, one on each side of the neck, are responsible for supplying blood to the head, including the brain. (Source: Freepik)

Can love bites be lethal?

Dr Deepak Krishnamurthy, HOD, Interventional Cardiology, Kauvery Hospital, Bengaluru, said a barber or chiropractor causing carotid or vertebral artery damage due to neck massage is more common. The carotid arteries, one on each side of the neck, are responsible for supplying blood to the head, including the brain.

“While a hickey causing damage to the carotid artery is extremely unusual, generally a healthy carotid cannot be messed with from neck pressure or manipulation unless done vigorously,” said Dr Krishnamurthy.

Dr Venkatesh said it is imperative to note that one should not dig their teeth too deep into someone’s neck to avoid injury to sensitive structures like the carotid artery or the jugular vein.

“Vigorous manipulation of the neck in the region of the carotid artery, including the action of a hickey, can cause a crack in the inner wall of the carotid artery, medically termed as carotid artery dissection. Such a dissection is a nidus (a place where bacteria can multiply) for the formation of a blood clot. The blood clot can then get dislodged and enter the brain circulation causing a stroke,” he explained.

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