Danger Dust

Thanks to a quirk known as unconscious selective attention, your brain has learned to ignore your nose. A prominent feature that’s positioned closely to the eyes, the schnoz could get in the way of our vision – but the nervous system cleverly filters it out.

Wolf’s nose

Sarcoidosis, is an inflammatory disease that can affect any of the body’s tissues – though mainly the lungs and lymph nodes. The condition can generate patches of bluish or purplish rashes, particularly on the body’s extremities where the skin is typically cooler. This includes the ears, the fingers and toes, and of course, the nose. When sarcoidosis affects the nose, it’s known as lupus pernio, although the name is a misnomer because this condition is not the same as the autoimmune disease known as lupus.

Regular lupus is a completely different condition where the body attacks its own tissues. It takes its name from the Latin word for “wolf” and the name dates back to medieval times when the associated skin rash was said to resemble the bite of a wolf.

When lupus, rather than sarcoidosis, affects the skin it generates a butterfly rash – or malar rash, which fans across the cheeks and nasal bridge. This rash can look very similar to rosacea.

In fact, lupus is known as “the great imitator” because it shares similar symptoms to many different diseases.