All About Nosebleeds

They’re usually (though not always) just a minor nuisance

It feels like a runny nose, but within moments you realize this is no head cold—it’s a nosebleed. Don’t fret. Nosebleeds are rarely cause for alarm.

Clinically called epistaxis, a nosebleed can affect anyone, young or old, and for a variety of reasons. Injury to the face, over-dry air, colds and allergies all can damage the nasal membranes, resulting in a bleed. Nose picking and blowing your nose too hard also can prompt bleeding, and you’re more susceptible if you have high blood pressure or regularly use blood thinners such as aspirin or coumadin.

With young children, “there’s always the possibility of a foreign object,” says family medicine physician Robert Blauser, M.D., of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. “I’ve removed beads, beans, popcorn—all sorts of things from children’s noses.”

Though startling, nosebleeds usually look worse than they are and can be controlled readily at home. Sit in a comfortable position and tilt your head slightly forward. (Tilting back can cause nausea from swallowing blood.) Then pinch the nostrils together and hold gently for 15-20 minutes.

“By this time a clot will have formed, plugging the ruptured vein,” Blauser says. “After the bleeding stops, avoid any strain on the clot. If you blow your nose right afterward, you may be back to square one.”

If you have a heavy, uncontrollable nosebleed, don’t hesitate to go to the emergency department. For nosebleeds that occur more than once a week and are difficult to stop, see an ear-nose-throat specialist. Recurrent bleeds may signal a bleeding disorder or tumor, says Blauser’s colleague, ear-nose-throat specialist Ted Gaylor, M.D.

For the most part, though, nosebleeds are as easy to prevent as they are to control. Blow gently and don’t irritate your nose. A humidifier in the bedroom, saline nose drops or sprays, and petroleum jelly in the nostrils can help keep nasal passages moist.

Want to Know More about nosebleeds in children? Call 610-402-CARE.

Published from Healthy You Magazine, September-October 2008

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