Causes Of A Nosebleed
The inside of the nose is delicate and nosebleeds happen when its damaged. This can be caused by:
- picking your nose
- blowing your nose too hard
- the inside of your nose being too dry
Nosebleeds that need medical attention can come from deeper inside the nose and usually affect adults. They can be caused by:
- an injury or broken nose
- high blood pressure
Sometimes the cause of a nosebleed is unknown.
Certain people are more prone to getting nosebleeds, including:
What Are The Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is often called the silent killer. It usually doesnt produce noticeable symptoms unless you have a hypertensive crisis. The only way to know for sure if you have high blood pressure is to get a test.
Although you may not be able to notice it without a test, chronic high blood pressure can raise your risks of developing a number of serious conditions like:
What You Need To Know About Nosebleeds
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The nose is an incredibly vascular structure, and the Kiesselbachs plexus in the front part of the nose is the most common site for epistaxis, or nosebleeds, in children.
Epistaxis can result from trauma to the nose, mucosal irritation, inflammatory disease and septal or vasculature abnormality. In adults, hypertension can also contribute to nosebleeds. This is rare in children.
Its important to remember that children with bleeding disorders are often at risk for recurrent nosebleeds. On the other hand, nosebleeds in children with no symptoms of bleeding disorders dont require further investigation or testing.
Most of the time, bleeding occurs after trauma to the nose from placement of fingers in the nostrils. Additionally, allergies and infection can introduce crusty mucus and nasal itchiness, prompting injury to the mucosa when trying to remove the mucus.
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High Blood Pressure: Lifestyle Changes To Reduce Reading
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Nosebleeds are usually not a sign of anything serious and are most often treated at home. But persistent or long-lasting nosebleeds can be linked to having high blood pressure, which can cause a multitude of other health problems.
Nosebleeds are pretty common and most people will experience them every now and again. Anyone can get a nosebleed, but they most often affect:
- children between two and 10 years of age
- people who take blood thinning medication such as aspirin or anticoagulants, such as warfarin
- people with blood clotting disorders, such as haemophilia
How To Stop Your Nose From Bleeding
Nosebleeds caused by medications are known as drug-induced epistaxis. The extent of the blood can differ greatly depending on the individual, the medication, and other factors, but you can usually stop the bleeding by pinching the soft part of your nose with your thumb and index finger.
Make sure you lean forward and not back, otherwise, you may experience difficulty breathing and nausea.
Apply pressure for 5 minutes and resist the urge to check and see if the bleeding has stopped. Once that time has passed, the blood should have clotted inside the nose.
Refrain from blowing your nose or doing anything too strenuous immediately afterward, as it could remove the clot and trigger more bleeding.
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How Do I Stop A Nosebleed
Follow these steps to stop a nosebleed:
- Sit upright and lean your body and your head slightly forward. This will keep the blood from running down your throat, which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
- Breathe through your mouth.
- Use a tissue or damp washcloth to catch the blood.
- Use your thumb and index finger to pinch together the soft part of your nose. Make sure to pinch the soft part of the nose against the hard bony ridge that forms the bridge of the nose. Squeezing at or above the bony part of the nose will not put pressure where it can help stop the bleeding.
- Keep pinching your nose continuously for at least 5 minutes before checking if the bleeding has stopped. If your nose is still bleeding, continue squeezing the nose for another 10 minutes.
- If youd like, apply an ice pack to the bridge of your nose to further help constrict blood vessels and provide comfort. This is not a necessary step, but you can try this if you want.
- You can spray an over-the-counter decongestant spray, such as oxymetazoline into the bleeding side of the nose and then apply pressure to the nose as described above. WARNING: These topical decongestant sprays should not be used over a long period of time. Doing so can actually cause an increase in the chance of a nosebleed.
- After the bleeding stops, DO NOT bend over, strain and/or lift anything heavy. DO NOT blow or rub your nose for several days.
What About High Blood Pressure And Nosebleeds
There is no direct link between nosebleeds as a sign of high blood pressure – hypertension itself doesnt cause nosebleeds unless there is a hypertensive crisis. However, the two do often happen in parallel. This is because high blood pressure affects the blood vessels and this may cause blood vessels in the nose to be more vulnerable to damage – and to bleed more. There has been research looking at the connection between nosebleeds and high blood pressure. One Korean study focused on the risk of nosebleeds for people with high blood pressure and found that those with hypertension tended to have an increased risk of nosebleeds that required medical attention, compared to people with no evidence of hypertension.
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Can High Blood Pressure Cause Nosebleeds
High blood pressure may cause nosebleeds. But most people with high blood pressure never have any symptoms. If a person with high blood pressure does have symptoms, they are usually vague. These symptoms may include headaches, dizziness, or nosebleeds.
Medical studies looked at whether high blood pressure can cause nosebleeds. Some studies found no proof of this. But other studies support a link between high blood pressure and nosebleeds.
When Symptoms Do Occur
When people with high blood pressure do have symptoms, they are usually caused by another problem. These may include:
- An underlying condition which is causing the high blood pressure
- A hypertensive crisis, which is a medical emergency
- Side effects from blood pressure medication
- A condition not related to high blood pressure
- A different cause such as other types of medicine or allergies
The Bottom Line
Since most people have no symptoms, high blood pressure can go unnoticed and untreated. This is why high blood pressure is often called the Silent Killer. Most people dont know they have it because there are no signs or symptoms.
Dont wait for symptoms to appear. Get your blood pressure tested at least once a year!
When To Get Help For Nosebleeds
Although most nosebleeds can be treated at home, some are severe and require medical attention. Kevin Campbell, MD, a cardiologist at Wake Heart and Vascular in Raleigh, North Carolina, says Nosebleeds are rarely life-threatening. But under certain circumstances, such as if you’re taking blood thinners like aspirin or warfarin, nosebleeds can be quite concerning and require medical care. In such cases, your healthcare provider may need to adjust the dose of blood-thinning medication, he says.
Having more than one nosebleed a week is also a sign that you should talk to your doctor. If nosebleeds are recurrent whether or not you’re on blood-thinning medications it’s reasonable to seek help from your primary care physician, says Dr. Campbell. He adds that recurrent nosebleeds may point to other, more significant medical conditions.
You should certainly seek medical attention in an emergency room if your nosebleed lasts longer than a few minutes, or if you’re unable to stop the bleeding with direct manual pressure,” Campbell says.
Additional reporting by Ashley Welch
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Why Come To Michigan For Treatment
- We have expertise in treating all forms of nosebleeds, including those caused by hereditary conditions.
- We treat more than 84,000 patients every year.
- We take a multidisciplinary, step-by-step approach that takes you as a whole person into account.
- If you need us for surgery, know that we perform more than 7,000 surgeries every year. And, when it comes to surgery, experience counts.
Other Bizarre Things That Reportedly Can Happen Before A Storm
- Tree leaves turn over when the humidity rises before a storm, leaf stems on trees go limp, causing the leaves to show their undersides when the wind catches them.
- Bugs mate less when that barometric pressure drops before the rain, studies have suggested that bugs lose interest in mating. The likes of the cucurbit beetles, potato aphids and true armyworm moths were studied and, while theyd still mate, theyd try and get it over with quickly if it felt like it was going to rain. Romantic, right?
- The air has a new smell a fresh scent you can smell before a storm hits comes from the ozone, molecules of which are being pushed closer to the ground. Apparently the air also becomes hotter than the sun when lightning strikes, according to this article by Readers Digest.
- Bees work extra hard more buggy research believes that bees can predict when its going to rain and stock up on food to see them through. Scientists in one study apparently tracked 300 honeybees for more than a month and found that the day before it rained, the bees worked later than usual.
- Dogs get nervous Vets believe that your hound can also predict the weather and youll likely see that in their behaviour. They can sense changes in the pressure of the atmosphere and hear low-frequency rumbles before their human and even feel a bit of static electricity.
Read more:
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Are There Different Kinds Of Nosebleeds
Yes. Nosebleeds are described by the site of the bleed. There are two main types and one is more serious than the other.
An anterior nosebleed starts in the front of the nose on the lower part of the wall that separates the two sides of the nose . Capillaries and small blood vessels in this front area of the nose are fragile and can easily break and bleed. This is the most common type of nosebleed and is usually not serious. These nosebleeds are more common in children and are usually able to be treated at home.
A posterior nosebleed occurs deep inside the nose. This nosebleed is caused by a bleed in larger blood vessels in the back part of the nose near the throat. This can be a more serious nosebleed than an anterior nosebleed. It can result in heavy bleeding, which may flow down the back of the throat. You may need medical attention right away for this type of nosebleed. This type of nosebleed is more common in adults.
Do You Suffer From Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead chronic conditions such as stroke, heart disease, and kidney disease if left untreated and undiagnosed. It is pertinent that people stay vigilant to symptoms of hypertension. If they detect symptoms, they should make an appointment with their primary care physician.
Their primary care physician will prescribe them medicine to target the disease and provide them with tips to modify their lifestyle. By following their primary care physicians advice, they will be able to reduce the probability of hypertension transforming in to a life-threatening disease, which can cause death and provide irreversible damage to the heart.
For this reason, it has become extremely critical for an individual to identify symptoms of hypertension. If you are suffering from any of the following symptoms of hypertension, visit your doctor to get your blood pressure checked:
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You Feel Lightheaded Dizzy Or Faint
Since nosebleeds have the potential to cause significant blood loss, its important to watch for symptoms of anemia, including lightheadedness, dizziness, a fast heart rate, or feeling faint. Statistics about anemia will surprise you as it’s the most common blood disorder. Ensure you are sitting down and leaning forward during a nosebleed and taking the proper steps to stop the bleeding.
You Are Losing Too Much Blood
Excessive blood loss can make a bloody nose an emergency. Sometimes, though, it can be hard to judge how much blood you’ve lost. A few tablespoons can look like a lot. If you are gushing blood, call 911.
If pinching does not stop the dripping, use a container to catch the blood. A measuring cup is ideal because it will help a medical professional know how much blood you’ve lost.
Blood loss is most concerning if you have a history of blood diseases such as hemophilia or anemia. When you are anemic, you don’t have enough red blood cells.
Prolonged nosebleeds are also a concern if you are taking medications that thin the blood, such as:
- Rapid heartbeat
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, call 911 or go to the emergency room at once.
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Treating A Posterior Nosebleed
If blood is coming out of the front of your nose, sit up and lean forward to make sure blood doesnt leak down your throat. Then pinch the front of your nose using your thumb and finger with a clean cloth or tissue to stop the bleeding.
Keep pinching your nose for 10 to 15 minutes until the bleeding stops and the cut or injury has healed. Putting a bag of ice on top of your nose can help relieve pain or swelling.
How To Stop Nosebleeds
Not everyone knows how to stop a nosebleed. If you’re not sure what to do, follow these steps:
- Apply gentle pressure, sit down and lean forward.
- Pinch your nostrils together with two fingers for five minutes or until bleeding stops.
- Then, push on both sides of the nose.
- Gently push downward in an inward motion across the bridge of your nose using three fingers from each hand just below either side of your eyes.
- Breathe through the mouth. Open wide and breathe in and out slowly while pinching your nostrils closed above one finger at all times to avoid swallowing blood.
- Tilt your head back so that blood flows towards the back of your throat and not down the windpipe. You can also prop up your head on a pillow if lying flat is uncomfortable.
- Sit tight for another five minutes to prevent blood from draining into the throat and stomach.
- Wait for bleeding to stop if you have a cold or flu, apply petroleum jelly to your nose. It will help prevent tissue damage from the inside of the nose.
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When To Seek Medical Advice
Contact your GP or call NHS 24’s service if:
- you’re taking a blood-thinning medicine such as warfarin or have a clotting disorder such as haemophilia and the bleeding doesn’t stop
- you have symptoms of anaemia such as heart palpitations, shortness of breath and a pale complexion
- a child under two years of age has a nosebleed
- you have nosebleeds that come and go regularly
Ask someone to drive you to your nearest accident and emergency department or call 999 for an ambulance if:
- the bleeding continues for longer than 20 minutes
- the bleeding is heavy and you’ve lost a lot of blood
- you’re having difficulty breathing
- you swallow a large amount of blood that makes you vomit
- the nosebleed developed after a serious injury, such as a car crash
Treatment For Nosebleeds In Horses
Veterinarians have turned to technological advancements like endoscopes for equines to get an actual visual of what is causing nosebleeds in horses. With this fiber optic method, they are able to locate the source of the bleed and determine its effects. This will also allow the veterinarian to determine if surgery is required to correct the problem.When endoscopy does not reveal an issue, the veterinarians may resort to skull radiography to attempt to diagnose the issue so that a proper course of medical action can be taken. This method is effective especially with skittish horses that cannot handle the tube being passed through their noses.
Only skilled veterinarians should impede the horseâs nostrils for any reason including trying to subdue the nosebleed due to the real possibility of suffocating the horse.
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When To Seek Epistaxis Treatment Los Angeles
When you get a nose bleed, it can be very troubling. This holds especially true if you dont know what caused it. Most of the time, nosebleeds can be simply caused by trauma to the nose or picking of the nose. However, there are signs that can indicate that there is a more severe cause.
The most common is a very heavy nosebleed. Most nosebleeds will trickle. If you experience a large amount of blood or a very heavy flow for an extended period of time, then you should make a call to your Los Angeles nosebleed doctor. Also, if you experience frequent nosebleeds, it can be a sign of a more serious health condition. Heavy flows and frequent nosebleeds tend to develop deeper within the nose than common nosebleeds.
In Most Cases High Blood Pressure Does Not Cause Headaches Or Nosebleeds
- The best evidence indicates that high blood pressure does not cause headaches or nosebleeds, except in the case of hypertensive crisis, a medical emergency when blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or higher. If your blood pressure is unusually high AND you have headache or nosebleed and are feeling unwell, wait five minutes and retest. If your reading remains at 180/120 mm Hg or higher, call 911.
- If you are experiencing severe headaches or nosebleeds and are otherwise unwell, contact your doctor as they could be symptoms of other health conditions.
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