‘I was in pain, like someone sticking needles in my head’ says rugby star who suffered cardiac arrest after taking snus
FRENCH rugby star Hassane Kolingar suffered a frightening heart attack after taking snus.
Kolingar was at the wedding of Racing 92 team-mate Ibrahim Diallo when he took the tobacco product.
Snus is taken by placing the tobacco patch behind the upper lip -which enables nicotine to be absorbed – and is common among sports stars.
But Kolingar revealed he was taken to hospital in the summer following a scare while taking snus.
He told Midi Olympique: “When I got there [to the wedding], I stuck a snus against my gum and sat down while waiting for the bride and groom.
“It’s not illegal – there’s tobacco in it but it’s real s***, I think. At one point, I burst out laughing and immediately felt pressure in my chest.
“My heart was beating really hard and I was sweating a lot; seeing stars.
“I thought I was just having a hypoglycaemic episode and, so I would not ruin the ceremony, I moved aside.
“My eardrums were banging, I felt like someone was sticking needles in my head.
“I was in pain, really bad pain and my eyes were rolling back. I was going into cardiac arrest.”
What is snus?
Snus is a form of smokeless tobacco most typically popular in Scandinavia.
A variant of dry snuff, it is placed under the upper lip for extensive periods.
Sale of snus is illegal across the European Union, with the exception of Sweden, where it originated in the 18th century.
But it is also manufactured in the US, where production standards are typically lower than in Sweden and significant quantities of sweeteners tend to be used.
Users hold the products against the lining of their mouths for extended periods of time, in order to allow nicotine to pass into the bloodstream.
And experts say this also gives the bacteria – Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus pumilus – the chance to enter the body.
This is a particular risk for people with gum disease, which smokeless tobacco is known to cause, because it causes gaps for the bacteria to pass through.
Kolingar suffered tachycardia – when the heart rate increases – and needed an operation to clean a scar on his heart.
He said: “Because my pulse wouldn’t go down, the firefighters put me into a coma. To wake me up, they shocked me four times.
“The purpose of the operation was to clean the scar I had on my heart since birth.
“To do that, [the surgeon] had to trigger a new cardiac arrest.”
Several football players have been pictured or admitted to using snus – causing fears of an epidemic.
SunSport revealed in 2023 how some Premier League stars were seeking help after becoming addicted to snus.
The PFA even considered a blanket ban after an increase in usage.
Gary Lineker once revealed he was left vomiting after trying snus for the first and last time – taking seven hours to recover.
Kolingar meanwhile returned to action in December following his health scar.