Machine Gun Sneezing

ABC News on November 11, 2009 aired a story about a 12 year old girl with an unfortunate condition called "machine gun sneezing". Apparently, she sneezes up to 16 times a minute all day except while sleeping and started after recovering from a mild cold.

To be frank, it's a condition I've never seen before.

Per an allergist interviewed for this story, the condition is extremely rare and "can be triggered by hundreds of causes, including allergies, sinus problems, or growths in the nasal passage."

Read more here. A video of the report can also be found at the link.

This girl was eventually found to have a diagnosis called PANDAS (Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus)! Read more here.

Nasal Irrigation Beneficial for Pregnant Women With Allergies

Italian researchers have reported in the International Archives of Allergy and Immunology in Sept 2009 that saline nasal rinsing is a safe and effective treatment option for nasal problems in pregnant women with seasonal allergic rhinitis. In their paper titled "Nasal Lavage in Pregnant Women with Seasonal Allergic Rhinitis: A Randomized Study," the researchers instructed the study group to perform hypertonic saline lavages to the nose 3X per day. Of note, HYPERTONIC saline solution was used instead of the more usual isotonic saline solution.

A statistically significant improvement in rhinitis symptoms (rhinorrea, obstruction, nasal itching and sneezing) was found during the observed weeks 2-6. Furthermore, the mean number of daily antihistamines use per patient per week was significantly reduced at weeks 2, 3 and 6. No adverse effect was reported in the active group.

Read the abstract here.

In our office, we recommend the Neilmed Sinus Rinse bottle as the cheapest and most effective way to perform nasal irrigations. Of note, the Neilmed sinus rinse bottle also comes with hypertonic saline version (along with the more common isotonic version). For convenience, irrigation devices (shown below) are also sold, but much more expensive.

Click here to watch a video of how to perform nasal rinses.