NOSEBLEED (Epistaxis in Children)

JOSEPH R. ANTICALIA MD
Medial Advisory Board

Nosebleeds (“epistaxis”) have been a bloody nuisance from the time of Hippocrates to the present. It’s a common problem that can occur at any time, in any place and in any season.

It’s most common in children from two to ten years of age and more frequent during the winter months. A blood vessel ruptures, the nose bleeds, parents are rightfully concerned and ready to rush the child to the emergency room.

Although epistaxis in children can be a signal of a serious problem and great anxiety to parents, the majority of the time it either stops on its own or can be treated with home remedies without the necessity to see a physician.

What Causes the Blood Vessel to Rupture?

There are many causes of nosebleeds, both local and systemic. It’s useful to know whether the bleeding is coming from the front or the back of the nose. In children, more often than not, it’s coming from the front of the nose. Some of the causes of nosebleeds are listed below:

The majority of the time physicians cannot pinpoint a specific cause for the nosebleed.

“WHAT CAN PARENTS DO?”

Let’s start with a brief understanding of the parts of the nose you’ll be dealing with… When you feel the bridge of the child’s nose or your own nose and go down toward the tip of the nose, you’ll notice that the upper one third is bony hard and not moveable whereas the lower two thirds is cartilaginous, soft and moveable. The septum is a semi-rigid partition that separates the right from the left sides of the nose. It is made up of a delicate lining filled with blood vessels that cover the septum’s bone and cartilage. Here’s what to do:

PREVENTION

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In short, hemorrhaging from the nose can be bloody frightening and serious. If your child has recurrent nosebleeds, gets a nosebleed after trauma or it takes a long time before the bleeding stops, or you have trouble stopping a nosebleed — do not hesitate to seek medical help.

For parents, the important thing to keep in mind is that — almost always — the bleeding comes from the front part of the nose, the problem is usually benign and more often than not, you can stop this kind of bleeding and prevent or minimize future episodes with home remedies.