If you are a chronic nose picker, then beware. Medically termed rhinotillexomania, chronic nose picking has long been considered an innocuous habit, but a review of dozens of published studies suggests it may have serious implications for brain health and lead to neurodegenerative disease namely Alzheimer’s.

Researchers at Western Sydney University in Australia delved into the possible link between chronic nose-picking which is medically known as rhinotillexomania and Alzheimer’s disease. Their hypothesis centered on the introduction of germs into the delicate nasal cavity during this habit, which could potentially trigger inflammation in the brain. The study is published in the journal Biomolecules.

Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the accumulation of proteins, particularly tau, in the brain.

While the precise cause of Alzheimer’s remains elusive, scientists have increasingly recognized the role of neuro-inflammation in its development.

The Australian researchers postulated that the inflammation observed in Alzheimer’s patients could be partially initiated by pathogens infiltrating the brain through the nasal passages and olfactory system. These pathogens, including viruses, bacteria, and fungi, might induce chronic, low-grade brain infections that lack overt symptoms but contribute to inflammation and the formation of detrimental protein plaques characteristic of the neurodegenerative disease.

Importantly, the study draws attention to the lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic regarding the importance of hand hygiene. The researchers emphasized the necessity of frequent hand washing and the use of hand sanitizers to mitigate the risk of introducing germs into the nasal cavity during nose-picking.

Nose picking is a common but often condemned practice. To help a person stop picking their nose, mindfulness meditation or habit reversal training might be beneficial, say experts, though not related to this study.

However, not everyone picks their nose for the same reasons. Although some people pick their nose to remove irritating boogers, others may pick their nose out of habit or compulsion.

“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,” the researchers said.