Nosebleed See all parts of this guide Hide guide parts 1. About nosebleeds 2. Causes of nosebleeds 3. Treating nosebleeds. About nosebleeds Nosebleeds can be frightening, but they aren't usually a sign of anything serious and can often be treated at home. The medical name for a nosebleed is epistaxis.
What to do To stop a nosebleed: sit down and firmly pinch the soft part of your nose, just above your nostrils, for at least minutes lean forward and breathe through your mouth — this will drain blood into your nose instead of down the back of your throat place an ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables covered by a towel on the bridge of your nose stay upright, rather than lying down, as this reduces the blood pressure in the blood vessels of your nose and will discourage further bleeding If the bleeding eventually stops, you won't usually need to seek medical advice.
Common causes of nosebleeds include: picking your nose blowing your nose very hard a minor injury to your nose changes in humidity or temperature causing the inside of the nose to become dry and cracked Occasionally, bleeding can come from the blood vessels deeper within the nose.
Read more about the causes of nosebleeds Who gets nosebleeds? Anyone can get a nosebleed, but they most often affect: children between two and 10 years of age elderly people pregnant women people who take blood thinning medication such as aspirin or anticoagulants, such as warfarin people with blood clotting disorders, such as haemophilia Bleeding may also be heavier or last longer if you take anticoagulants, have a blood clotting disorder, or have high blood pressure hypertension.
Are nosebleeds serious? Preventing nosebleeds Things you can do to prevent nosebleeds include: avoid picking your nose and keep your fingernails short blow your nose as little as possible and only very gently keep your home humidified wear a head guard during activities in which your nose or head could get injured always follow the instructions that come with nasal decongestants — overusing these can cause nosebleeds Talk to your GP if you experience nosebleeds frequently and aren't able to prevent them.
Causes of nosebleeds Nosebleeds can be caused by a number of different things. Anterior nosebleeds The vast majority of nosebleeds are anterior nosebleeds, which means the bleeding comes from the wall between the two nose channels the lower septum , just inside your nose. The cause of anterior nosebleeds is sometimes unknown, but they can be caused by a number of things, including: picking your nose, particularly if you scratch the inside of your nose with a sharp fingernail blowing your nose very hard a minor injury to your nose a blocked or stuffy nose often caused by an infection such as a cold or flu sinusitis — an infection of the small, air-filled cavities inside your cheekbones and forehead dry air or an increase in temperature drying out the inside of your nose hay fever or other allergies high altitude excessive use of nasal decongestants a crooked nasal septum that's either present from birth congenital or the result of an injury a deviated septum Anterior nosebleeds are more common in children and are not usually a sign of anything serious.
Read more about treating nosebleeds Posterior nosebleeds A small number of nosebleeds are posterior nosebleeds, which means the bleeding originates from branches of arteries that supply blood to the space inside your nose between the roof of your mouth and your brain nasal cavity.
Causes of posterior nosebleeds include: a blow to your head , or a fall a broken nose recent nasal surgery hardened arteries atherosclerosis medicines that cause you to bleed more easily, including aspirin and anticoagulants such as warfarin and heparin a tumour in the nasal cavity a blood clotting abnormality — such as haemophilia or von Willebrand disease hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia HHT — an inherited genetic condition that affects the blood vessels leukaemia although this is rare and you're likely to have other symptoms as well High blood pressure hypertension is also more common in people with nosebleeds and may make it harder to stop the bleeding, but it's not clear whether this directly causes nosebleeds.
Treating nosebleeds Most nosebleeds can be stopped without the need for medical attention, but occasionally further treatment may be required. What to do To stop a nosebleed: sit down and firmly pinch the soft part of your nose, just above your nostrils, for at least minutes lean forward and breathe through your mouth — this will drain blood into your nose instead of down the back of your throat place an ice pack or bag of frozen vegetables covered by a towel on the bridge of your nose stay upright, rather than lying down as this reduces the blood pressure in the blood vessels of your nose and will discourage further bleeding If the bleeding eventually stops, you won't usually need to seek medical advice.
Antibiotic ointment Your doctor may prescribe an antibiotic ointment. Antibiotic ointment is particularly effective in children.
Cautery If your doctor is able to identify exactly where the bleeding is coming from, they may carry out a minor procedure to seal the bleeding blood vessel by cauterising burning it. Nasal packing If cautery is ineffective or your doctor is unable to identify a specific bleeding point, they may recommend packing your nose with gauze or special nasal sponges to stop the flow of blood by applying pressure to the source of the bleeding.
Further treatment If the treatments above don't help, you may be referred to a hospital specialist such as an ear, nose and throat ENT doctor for further treatment. Tweet Click here to share this page on Twitter This will open a new window. Print Click here to print this page This will open your print options in a new window. Last updated:. How can we improve this page? Email Address e. Learn More About bloody nose. Time Traveler for bloody nose The first known use of bloody nose was in See more words from the same year.
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Skip to main content. Ear nose and throat. Home Ear nose and throat. Actions for this page Listen Print. Summary Read the full fact sheet. On this page. Blood vessels in the nose are fragile Symptoms of nosebleeds Causes of nosebleeds First aid management for nosebleeds Frequent nosebleeds Where to get help Things to remember. Blood vessels in the nose are fragile The small blood vessels in the septum the firm tissue between the nostrils, which divides the nose into two halves are fragile and can burst fairly easily, causing a nose bleed.
In children, the nose tends to bleed from only one side unilateral. Symptoms of nosebleeds The signs and symptoms of a nosebleed include: bleeding from either or both nostrils a sensation of flowing liquid at the back of the throat the urge to swallow frequently. Causes of nosebleeds A nosebleed can be caused by a range of factors, including: fragile blood vessels that bleed easily, perhaps in warm dry air or after exercise an infection of the nose lining, sinuses or adenoids an allergy that causes hay fever or coughing bumps or falls an object that has been pushed up the nostril nose picking occasionally, a bleeding or clotting problem.
First aid management for nosebleeds To manage a nosebleed include: Reassure the person, especially children, as crying increases blood flow. Sit the person up straight and drop their head slightly forward. Apply finger and thumb pressure on the soft part of nostrils below the bridge of the nose for at least 10 minutes.
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