Nose Picking: Disease Risk & Millions Affected

Some recent scientific research is concerned with a simple daily behavior that a large number of people practice without paying attention, which may have more serious health repercussions than expected.

In light of the ongoing quest to understand the causes of neurodegenerative diseases, recent studies have begun linking nasal health and brain health, indicating the possibility of an indirect relationship between some daily habits and an increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, according to the New York Post.

Statistics indicate that the vast majority of people touch or mess with their noses repeatedly during the day, a behavior that seems spontaneous and harmless, but researchers warn that this behavior may open the door to unexpected health problems.

Unclean hands may transfer germs to the nasal cavity, leading to local infections, damage to the nasal lining, the formation of crusts, and frequent bleeding.

Scientists believe that repeating these infections may weaken the natural nasal barrier, allowing pathogens to reach more sensitive areas of the body.

Researchers are currently working on studying the hypothesis that damage to the nasal lining may facilitate the transmission of bacteria to the brain via direct neural pathways, which may trigger inflammatory responses and stimulate the formation of protein deposits known as beta-amyloid plaques, which are hallmarks of Alzheimer’s disease.

Alzheimer’s is a neurodegenerative disease that develops gradually, affects memory and mental abilities, and affects millions of people around the world, but science has not yet been able to determine a clear and direct cause of its occurrence.

Some studies have focused on the so-called “nose-brain” axis, which is a neural pathway that directly connects the nasal cavity to the central nervous system. Since the olfactory centers are among the first brain areas to be affected by the disease, smell tests have become a potential tool for early detection of the risk of infection.

A study conducted in 2022 at Griffith University in Australia showed that playing with the nose of mice enabled bacteria known as “Chlamydia pneumoniae” to reach the olfactory nerve, and from there to the brain, where it caused pathological responses similar to those associated with Alzheimer’s.

It was noted that brain cells subsequently began to produce and accumulate beta-amyloid protein, which obstructs communication between nerve cells and leads to their damage, which is reflected in the form of memory loss and cognitive disorders.

Neuroscientist James St. John, who is supervising the study, commented that these results show for the first time the ability of these bacteria to move directly from the nose to the brain and trigger disease mechanisms similar to Alzheimer’s, warning that what was observed in animal models may have worrying implications for humans as well, and a scientific review published in 2023 supported this hypothesis.

Specialists stressed the importance of taking care of the health of the nose, as American neurosurgeon Betsy Gransch recommended avoiding behaviors that may harm the lining of the nose, such as tampering with mucus or removing nose hair, considering that prevention begins with simple habits that we may neglect.