The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy

ASCIA EDUCATION RESOURCES (AER) TOPIC OF THE MONTH -
SEPTEMBER 2003

Sneezing is the body's way of removing irritants. People with allergies sneeze because they release irritant chemicals like histamine into the nose when they come into contact with allergens they are sensitive to, such as dust mite, animals or pollen. Sneezing due to pollen allergies usually occurs in spring and summer. However, you do not have to have allergies to sneeze. Almost anything that irritates the nose can trigger a sneezing fit, including dust, strong smells, temperature changes and infections.

Sneezing is a complex reflex

A sneeze starts with irritation of the lining of the nose, and ends in an explosion of air from the nose and mouth. Nerve impulses travel from the nose to the brain, then back to other nerves that control the muscle of the abdomen, chest, diaphragm, neck, face and eyelids as well as the mucus glands and blood vessels of the nose. That's why we usually end up closing our eyes when we sneeze, and why the nose often runs afterwards. In people with allergies, histamine irritates nerve endings (triggering sneeze and itch), makes bloods vessels in the nose swell and leak fluid (blocked nose) and drives mucus glands to work harder (runny nose). That is why antihistamines can help allergies. Nasal steroid sprays are also used for treatment of sneezing due to allergies, as they reduce inflammation.

Sneezing can be debilitating

Allergy affects 1 in 5 Australians, yet is often considered more a nuisance than a major disease. Unfortunately, those with severe allergies have a miserable time, and end up physically and emotionally exhausted. Severe allergies have a major impact on quality of life, sleep quality, mood, work performance in adults and learning in children. Severe hay fever is also associated with a number of medical complications, such as more frequent sinus and middle ear infections, and harder to control asthma. Fortunately, a number of safe and effective treatments are available.

Unusual facts about sneezing

• Some cultures have considered sneezing as a sign of good fortune whereas others have seen it as an omen of death. Indeed, the saying "God Bless You" is thought to have arisen during the Bubonic Plague of the 6th century, where sneezing was one of its early symptoms.
  
  
• The material spread by sneezing can travel 2-3 metres, at a speed of around 150 km/hour, so it's a very efficient way of spreading germs.
  
  
• Some people sneeze when they pluck their eyebrows, get cold or go out into the sun. "Sun sneezing (Photic sneezing)" often runs in families, and occurs in around one in four people.
  
  
• The world record for sneezing is held by Donna Griffiths from Worstershire in the UK, who sneezed for 978 days in a row, stopping on 16 September 1983.
  
  
• Some even credit the development of movies to Thomas Edison's serial photographs of someone sneezing in 1888!
  
  
• For those with hay fever, it can be very hard to avoid exposure to allergic triggers. Allergens have been found in underwater submarines, in scuba tanks, the Antarctic and even in space! (In space, no one can hear you sneeze?)

For further information on sneezing due to allergies visit the ASCIA website http://www.allergy.org.au/

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© ASCIA 2003 The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) is the peak professional body of Clinical Allergists and Immunologists in Australia and New Zealand.

ASCIA Education Resources (AER) information bulletins have been peer reviewed by ASCIA members and represent the available published literature at the time of review. The information is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Any questions regarding a medical diagnosis or treatment should be directed to a medical practitioner.