Why are tall, slender men at higher risk for developing spontaneous pneumothorax?

Unknown reason: Spontaneous pneumothorax, where a lung leaks air (from a broken bleb) into the chest cavity space, occurs more often in persons with taller, slender bodies. The reason is not known, but maybe taller lungs develop blebs ("bubbles" with air just under the lung's covering) more easily, or break blebs more easily. Men may be affected more often because they are taller than women.

Blend: Tall people have stretching that occurs near the top of the lungs. This causes small air pockets to develop called blebs. When these rupture a pneumothroax occurs (collapsed lungs). There is also a genetic syndrome called Marfan's that is associated with height and pneumothorax.

Unknown: Primary spontaneous pneumothoraces (sps) generally occur in people aged 20-30 years. The male:female ratio is estimated 6 to 1. The definition of primary vs secondary sps is deceiving. The majority of primary sps that have surgery are found to have abnormalities in lung tissue. Lung inflamation and/or injury is theorized as cause. Smoking is a bad idea. Be well.