Q. When I sneeze, I do it three times; my husband sneezes once. Has anyone studied the reasons for different sneeze patterns?

A. Scientists assume that such sneezing patterns are genetic, but the issue has not been extensively studied, in large part because most sneezing is benign.

A rare exception is the syndrome called intractable sneezing, which has usually been found in adolescent girls. Because these severe bouts of uncontrolled sneezing respond well to psychological therapy, it is also called psychogenic sneezing, though some researchers suspect it is not always psychological in origin.

Image Credit... Victoria Roberts

One inherited kind of sneezing, photic sneezing, occurs upon sudden exposure to bright light. It has been given a catchy acronym, Achoo syndrome, derived from a longer term, autosomal dominant compelling helio-ophthalmic outburst.