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Why do I sneeze when going out into bright sunlight ? Quite often, but not always, when stepping out into bright sunlight I sneeze a couple of times. That's probably it for the day, I am most unlikely to repeat the sneezing when going out again later. Why does it happen and what causes this reaction ?
(1 vote) average rating:3

Asked by quasar0
on 2009-09-23 13:44:16

Member status
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Categories: Human Body.

Tags: sneeze, sunlight.

2 answer(s)

Reply	Kerouac says: You are suffering from ACHOO syndrome (I kid you not) which is a genetic condition. You can get more information from here: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/dispomim.cgi?id=100820 Also, New Scientist wrote a feature about it here: http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg20227041.400-why-some-people-sneeze-when-the-sun-comes-out.html This is a fairly common condition affecting about 20% of people - and the molecular mechanism will surely be fascinating, but unfortunately very little is known about it. Perhaps a New Scientist reader who works in a lab could get to work on the answer? (no votes) Tags: genetics, sneeze, sunlight.
	posted on 2009-09-23 17:25:29 \| Report abuse

Reply	eamonchee says: Photons, they up your nose :) but seriously, it's due to slight and sudden changes in temperature causing over sensitive sinuses to react. (no votes) Tags: sneeze, sunlight.
	posted on 2009-09-28 07:17:36 \| Report abuse

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