Just wondering.....

*This post came as a result of a Biology test, me thinking Cassie was making stuff up, and a very interesting Google search..... Hope you enjoy and participate*

This post comes about from a deep concern for all the people who read this blog. I am also scientifically motivated, in that I am interested in the topic and wish to conduct a bit of an experiment on the basis of a survey....

I was wondering....
Do any of you have Autosomal Dominant Compelling Heliopthalmic Outburst Syndrome aka ACHOO syndrome? The prominent symptom of people with the ACHOO syndrome is sudden, involuntary sneezing when they see a bright light or sunlight. The syndrome is usually more intense if the person with the condition moves suddenly from darkness into an area with bright lights or sunlight.

ACHOO syndrome is an inherited condition. The ACHOO syndrome is thought to be inherited in an autosomal dominant pattern. This means that only one copy of the abnormal gene needs to be present for the syndrome to occur. If one parent has the condition, their children will have a 50% chance of also having the syndrome. Occurrence of the ACHOO syndrome is widespread in the general population. The few well-documented studies performed report the condition as being present in 23-33% of individuals. Men seem to be affected more than women. There are a few theories as to why this happens but because not much research has been put into the disease no one knows for sure. One theory is that people who have the ACHOO syndrome have a hypersensitive reaction to light, just like some people have a sensitivity to cat hairs or pollen. When a person with the syndrome is exposed to a bright light, the same mechanism in the body that triggers a sneeze due to an irritant such as pollen somehow confuses light with that irritant and causes a sneeze to occur. Another theory is people with the ACHOO syndrome are very sensitive to seeing bright light. The sneeze reflex of the syndrome can then be thought of as an involuntary defense reaction against bright light; when the person sneezes, they automatically close their eyes.

Now that you have a bit of a back ground on the disorder please leave a comment. The ACHOO syndrome is diagnosed simply by observing the sneezing pattern of a person, and by looking into the sneezing patterns of the person's close relatives. If the person seems to sneeze every time they are exposed to a bright light, and if their parents and offspring do the same, then the diagnosis of the ACHOO syndrome can be made. Currently, there are no known blood tests or other medical tests that can help diagnose the syndrome. If you believe you or someone you know has ACHOO syndrome please let me know. If you think you have it ask you parents if they have it then record your findings in the comment place.

I'm sorry if this is Bad news for some of you... After all People with the ACHOO syndrome generally have the condition for life. So sorry....

Works Cited- Encyclopdia of Genetic Disorders (I quoted alot of their stuff but didn't put it in quotes)