Achoo Syndrome – It’s a Real Thing

Sometimes you have to be your own doctor. After all, that’s why WebMD was created right? Self-diagnosis is great, but dangerous at the same time. Sometimes when I’ve been looking something up on that site I’ve been led astray and ended up believing I had numerous contagious diseases and bizarre medical conditions that I must immediately seek treatment for or I just might die. But, not this time. This time, I was right on the money with my self-diagnosed syndrome.

While WebMD was spot on the money with its information about my . . . affliction, it wasn’t really very helpful, other than confirming that I most definitely have a bizarre medical situation. In fact, WebMD had exactly this – and not one word more – to say about my “condition”:

Photic sneeze reflex

Sneezing whenever you look at the sun or other bright lights.

Truly, that was it. No list of related symptoms, no cross-referenced conditions, no possible remedies. Just that one sentence. But, that was all I needed. Confirmation that indeed, something is not right with my insides. I took my new-found knowledge and did some further searching on the internet. Here’s what I found out:

Photic sneeze reflex is a condition triggered by exposure to bright light. Okay, I just learned that on WebMD. Tell me more. The reaction might be due to allergies, or, simply, a change in light. If you have the reflex, you probably inherited the trait from a parent. Really? That’s interesting. I don’t remember my mom having this and, that I’m aware of, my dad doesn’t have this. So . . . am I adopted?

Sun sneeze, or photic sneeze reflex, is a genetic condition which makes you sneeze when exposed to bright light (not just sunshine), whereas normal sneezing is caused by an irritant or an infection. Scientists call this unusual reaction autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst, or ACHOO syndrome for short. See? It’s a real thing. Scientists say so.

Photic sneeze is not caused by light itself, but by a change in light intensity that stimulates nerves in the facial cavity. It can be triggered by any sudden bright light, including walking into the sunlight from a dark room, a camera flash, or shining an ophthalmoscope into the eye. Most people with ACHOO syndrome don’t react every time and usually respond with three or fewer sneezes. Well, that’s good news. I guess. Except, I do react. Every. Single. Time.

It was first discovered in the 1950s by Sedan, a French researcher. Later studies found that the photic sneeze reflex is embedded in human DNA. Well, that would make it a genetic disorder now wouldn’t it?  When the trigeminal nerve is directly stimulated, there is the possibility that increased light sensitivity in the ocular nerve could result. Could and does in my world.

The photic sneeze response is a mysterious anomaly that does not seem to have a valid evolutionary function. Fantastic. It has been suggested that sneezing helps clear the nasal passages in animals, which depend on scent for survival, and that the photic sneeze reflex may be a genetic hold-over from bygone days before civilization. Say what now? I’m a deformed evolutionary freak?

According to Wikipedia:

The photic sneeze reflex (also known as Autosomal Dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst (ACHOO) syndrome or photosneezia, from the Greek φῶς, phōs, “light” and colloquially sun sneezing) is a reflex condition that causes sneezing in response to numerous stimuli, . . . but its exact mechanism of action is not well understood.

Huh? We can put a man on the moon, but . . . .

Reflexive sneezing induced by light, and sunlight in particular, is estimated to occur in 18 to 35 percent of the population. Scientists think that because they’re so close together, bright flashes of light that trigger your optical nerve can accidentally stimulate the trigeminal nerve. Your body reads that sensation as though something is irritating your nose, so that’s how bright light can make you sneeze!

If the sun makes you sneeze, then it’s highly likely you’re displaying a genetically-determined photic sneeze response. This autosomal dominant trait is passed on from generation to generation. In fact, Achoo syndrome is one of the most frequent of all known genetic traits. Well, if it’s so “frequent” why have I never heard of it?

If one of your parents is affected by sneeze sun reflex, there’s a 50% chance you will too. If both your parents have ACHOO syndrome, there’s a 75–100% chance that you will also develop photic sneeze reflex. Well then, aren’t I one of the lucky ones?

I guess that’s why I can make myself sneeze – like if I feel a sneeze coming on, but it’s not quite there – if I look at a bright light, the TV, the sun, sure enough, there it is – Achoo!! Damn DNA. It’s my parents’ fault.

There is no cure for ACHOO syndrome. Terrific. But reducing your exposure to sudden changes in light intensity can help. You think? In particular, doctors recommend wearing sunglasses or a hat to shield your eyes. Well thanks for that advice Sherlock. I’d never have figured that out.

Have you guys ever heard of this? Do any of you think you have this – now that I’ve so graciously brought it to your attention? Fair warning, if you ever go anywhere with me in public, I WILL sneeze when I go outside. It’s a sure bet. It’s the Achoo Syndrome exhibiting itself for the whole world to see. And in a Covid world, sneezing will get you some pretty intense looks these days. Thank you dominant hereditary photosneezia genes.

Word of the Day: Yogh

Fun fact about me: I guess I’ll be buying new sunglasses. And maybe a hat.

Original post by Jansen Schmidt, August 2021. Images by Google and giphy.com

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