# Picking your nose can lead to a blood clot in brain??

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-your-nose-can-lead-to-a-blood-clot-in-brain/9782>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 5, 2000, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-your-nose-can-lead-to-a-blood-clot-in-brain/9782 "2000-04-05T22:25:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Viscera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/258eb7/32.png) [@Viscera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viscera)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-your-nose-can-lead-to-a-blood-clot-in-brain/9782/1 "2000-04-05T22:25:00Z")

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Sorry for the goriness of my first post, but I have seen worse. 🙂

Seriously, I saw an ad for a book in my friend’s _Maxim_ magazine, about everyday stuff that can kill you, or something. I don’t remember any specific details other than this one, which stuck out at me, nor can I remember which month of the magazine it was. Had the woman from Frasier in it though.

Vis

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**Author:** ![BobT](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e8cbc/32.png) [@BobT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobT)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-your-nose-can-lead-to-a-blood-clot-in-brain/9782/2 "2000-04-05T22:55:00Z")

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This has been asked and answered by the Master.  
Sorry that I didn’t make the link look more interesting. [http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1\_270b.html](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a1_270b.html)

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**Author:** ![Viscera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/258eb7/32.png) [@Viscera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Viscera)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 11:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-your-nose-can-lead-to-a-blood-clot-in-brain/9782/3 "2000-04-05T23:10:00Z")

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Thanks man. 🙂

Was hoping there was something like that.

Vis

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**Author:** ![GasDr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ba9def/32.png) [@GasDr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GasDr)\
**Post date:** [April 5, 2000, 11:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/picking-your-nose-can-lead-to-a-blood-clot-in-brain/9782/4 "2000-04-05T23:11:00Z")

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Indirectly, yes. You could damage the nasal mucosa, develop an infection which could spread to the brain causing meningitis/encephalitis erosion of the vessels, hemorrhage with subsequent clotting. Ages ago, people called part of the face ‘the mask of death.’ The venous drainage of the area around the nose and eyes is into the cavernous sinus which lies at the base of the brain. Any serious infection of that area could spread to the brain, and in an era of no antibiotics, lead to death.