THOUGH it’s frowned upon in public, most of us will sometimes stick a finger up our nostril when we think nobody’s looking.
But this gross but seemingly harmless act might have some unforeseen health consequences, with researchers claiming nose picking could be linked to Alzheimer’s disease.
GettyChronic nose picking could repeatedly allow bacteria to travel up your nasal cavity to your brain, resulting in inflammation that could cause Alzheimer’s disease[/caption]
It comes after scientists suggested Alzheimer’s could be transmitted between people, after five people who received hormones harvested from the brains of dead donors developed the disease.
Digging into your schnoz could allow bacteria, viruses and fungi to enter the brain and increase the risk of developing dementia, new research published in Biomolecules has suggested.
The Australian research team behind the paper noted that the brain robbing disease responsible for memory loss and cognitive decline “is a complex neurodegenerative disorder” that can be caused “many possible factors”.
One of the key hallmarks of Alzheimer’s is the buildup of two substances in the brain, amyloid and tau, which form plaques and tangles and impede brain function.
“But more recent evidence suggests that neuroinflammation may also play an at least partial role” in the development of the disease, researchers argued – this refers to an inflammatory response in the brain triggered by injury or infection.
“Emerging research has explored the possible involvement of external, invading pathogens in starting or accelerating the neuroinflammatory processes in Alzheimer’s disease,” researchers explained.
After completing a review of thousands of studies, they said the olfactory system – which includes the nasal cavity and nerve cells involved in our sense of smell – is “a plausible route” for pathogens to enter the brain.
Pathogens that might be linked to neurinflammation include the herpes or Covid-19 viruses or bacteria that cause pneumonia or bronchitis.
‘Death by a thousand cuts’
Researchers compared chronic nose-picking to “death by a thousand cuts”.
People who constantly pick at their nose could leave themselves vulnerable to infections that lead to neurodegenerative processes, including those involved in Alzheimer’s disease.
That’s because chronic nose-picking may be transferring harmful microorganisms and bacteria from their hand into their nose, which then travel through the olfactory system and eventually reach the brain.
Once there, the microorganisms can cause inflammation and contribute to the development of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s.
Solutions for ‘incurable nose-pickers’
Reflecting on the review’s results, researchers suggested paying extra attention to hand washing.
“Among all the entry routes, the improvement of hand hygiene might be an easy prevention step, as learned from the Covid-19 epidemic,” they explained.
“One of the lessons learned from Covid-19 is the value of hand hygiene through frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitisers, and we suggest these routine hygienic procedures be mandatory routine procedures for the incurable nose-picker.”
However, the Western Sydney University team did question whether nose picking was the cause of brain Alzheimer’s, or whether the brain-robbing disease caused people to take up unhealthy habits leading to brain inflammation.
“One of the limitations of the ‘infection hypothesis of Alzheimer’s disease’ is the debate of what comes first, the chicken (Alzheimer’s) or the egg (infection),” scientists wrote.
“Is it because subjects have a compromised immune system that they develop an infection leading to neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s?
“Or does increasing inflammation due to ageing and sub-clinical Alzheimer’s disease cause immune defects or unhealthy habits allowing the entry of olfactory pathogens?”
They’re not the first to link nose-picking to dementia.
A Griffith University study carried out on mice found found a small link between the nasty habit and the build-up of proteins associated with the brain-robbing disease.
They ran tests on a bacteria called Chlamydia pneumoniae – a rare type of germ that can cause respiratory tract infections like pneumonia – finding that routing around your nose could damage the protective internal tissues, making it easier for dangerous bacteria to reach your brain.
More than 944,000 people in the UK who have dementia, according to research.
Alzheimer’s disease is a type of dementia makes up the majority of cases, together with vascular dementia.
What are the signs and symptoms of Alzheimers?
ALZHEIMER’S disease is the leading cause of dementia, affecting around 600,000 people in the UK.
Alzheimer’s disease is a build-up of toxic proteins, usually called amyloid or tau, in the brain.
Clumps of these damage, block off and kill vital nerve cells.
Damage to the nerves in the brain gradually destroys the organ, robbing patients of their muscle control, thinking power and emotions.
The cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not well understood but some things can increase your risk:
Age is the biggest risk factor – 95 per cent of cases begin after retirement age and your risk of developing Alzheimer’s doubles every five years after the age of 65.
Other risks include:
Family history of Alzheimer’s
Smoking
Drinking too much alcohol
Obesity
Too little exercise
Hearing loss
Head injuries
Down’s syndrome
Heart disease
Depression
Alzheimer’s often develops slowly over many years and it is usually too late for treatment by the time symptoms get bad.
Early to middle-stage symptoms include:
Trouble with short-term memory
Struggling to recall the right words or names
Increased anxiety or fear of new things or change
Mood swings or depression
Confusion
Getting lost when out and about
Difficulty sleeping
There is no cure for Alzheimer’s disease but medicines can help to reduce the symptoms.
Drugs regulators will in 2024 decide whether to approve a new class of medicines that claim to be able to clear damaging proteins out of the brain in the very early stages of Alzheimer’s.
Source: NHS