Paroxysmal sneezing in children: two new cases.

Paroxysmal sneezing is an uncommon condition primarily affecting adolescents. Most of the reported cases were thought to be psychogenic, and only two were felt to be due to nasal sensitivity. This paper reports two adolescents with paroxysmal sneezing, neither of whom had apparent psychologic or emotional problems. In one child the sneezing continued during sleep. The other child was successfully treated with topical nasal anesthesia. Both children were felt to have nasal sensitivity as the etiology of their paroxysmal sneezing. The evaluation of the patient with paroxysmal sneezing requires a thorough history and physical examination. One must not assume that every case of paroxysmal sneezing is of psychogenic origin. Topical nasal anesthesia should be tried for control of intractable paroxysmal sneezing.