A man who woke up with a wet pillow every day for a decade was shocked when doctors finally told him what it was.
American Mark Hoffman used to put cotton wool in his ear to soak up the mysterious liquid. Sometimes the fluid leaked out of his nose, too.
The 53-year-old has now been diagnosed with a cerebrospinal fluid leak. In other words, his brain was leaking.
The condition is caused when bone erodes between the brain and ear, and a small hole forms in the membrane which surrounds the brain.
Doctors say it’s becoming increasingly common, possibly due to an increase in sleep apnoea which can cause pressure to build up in sufferer’s heads when they stop breathing in the night.
Thankfully, surgeons were able to fix Hoffman’s leak.
He told USA Today he was relieved to find out what was wrong.
‘Number one, it’s not leaking anymore,’ he said. ‘And then you have to always worry about the brain fluid coming out of your ear.’
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