Photic sneeze reflex

Photic sneeze reflex
Other namesAutosomal Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst, Photosneezia
Photic sneeze reflex is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner.

The photic sneeze reflex (also known as ACHOO syndrome, a contrived acronym for Autosomal-dominant Compelling Helio-Ophthalmic Outburst[1]) is an inherited and congenital autosomal dominant reflex condition that causes sneezing in response to numerous stimuli, such as looking at bright lights or periocular (surrounding the eyeball) injection. The condition affects 18–35% of the world's population,[2] but its exact mechanism of action is not well understood.[3]

  1. ^ Laura Dean, MD. (2012). "ACHOO Syndrome". Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. PMID 28520355. Retrieved 2015-06-27.
  2. ^ Roberta A. Pagon (Nov 18, 2002). "Why does bright light cause some people to sneeze?". Scientific American.
  3. ^ Breitenbach RA, Swisher PK, Kim MK, Patel BS (December 1993). "The photic sneeze reflex as a risk factor to combat pilots". Military Medicine. 158 (12): 806–809. doi:10.1093/milmed/158.12.806. PMID 8108024.