Nasal Bleeding & Household Management

Are you suffering from Nasal Bleeding or do you know the preventive measures that should take while nose bleeding..?? 

Dr. George Varghese, Specialist ENT at KIMS Bahrain Medical Center point outs the common causes of Nasal Bleeding and its Household Management for its prevention. Nasal Bleeding is one of the common complaints that we encounter almost every day. In medical terms it is called EPISTXIS. It’s alarming for the common man. But the cause of it, in 90% of cases, is simple & straight forward. According to Dr. George, “the nose is rich in blood supply (vascular) and is situated in a vulnerable position as it protrudes on the face. As a result, trauma to the face can cause nasal injury and bleeding. The bleeding may be profuse, or mild. Nosebleeds can occur spontaneously when the nasal membranes dry out and crack. This is common in dry climates or during the winter when the air is dry and warm from household heaters”. People are susceptible to a Nose bleeds if they take medications that prevent normal blood clotting (warfarin [Coumadin] or aspirin). In this situation, even a minor trauma could result in significant bleeding.

The Usual causes: It’s true that in many cases the cause of bleeding is unknown. The majority of cases are secondary to upper respiratory tract infection, allergy or nose picking. In Gulf region, the common cause is nasal crusting due to inhalation of hot air. Ulceration follows crusting and that results in bleeding. Nose blowing and excessive sneezing are other common causes of nasal bleeding. Children often come with nasal bleeding due to infected foreign bodies. Hypertension and direct injury to the nose are other common causes.

The Unusual causes:  An unusual cause of bleeding is deviated nasal septum.  Usually people get alarmed with deviated septum. About 80% of people has deviated septum.  That does not warrant surgery unless there are sufficient grounds.

There’re people on anticoagulant therapy following certain cardiac conditions. Those on high anticoagulant therapy are also susceptible for nasal bleeding. Bleeding diathesis like Hemophilia is another cause of bleeding nose. Tumors of the nose, paranasal sinus & nasopharynx are other causes of bleeding. The other causes worth mentioning are sinusitis, chronic infections of the nose & sinuses & fungal infections.

Household Management of Nasal Bleeding

1. ICE Packs:      Most of the patients coming to the emergency room with bleeding nose always carry an ice bucket. Though the result are not proven scientifically, it’s always worth a trial.
2. Local Pressure:  It’s always worth pinching the nose with two fingers. Apply pressure for 10 minutes & release slowly. Most of the bleeding from the front part of septum will cease with this manures.
3. Advice to the Patient:    Make the patient sit vertically upwards on the bed with head leaning forward. Always instruct the patient not to swallow blood, for this might induce vomiting later. Instruct the patient to spit out blood instead of swallowing. In this position, pinch the nose firmly & wait for 10 minutes. If these measures fail, then the patient should be taken to emergency room for packing the nose and for other medical intervention.

Dr. George Varghese [MBBS, MS (ENT), DLO] is a Specialist ENT with more than 20 years of experience all over the world including Australia. He now works at KIMS Bahrain Medical Center. For more information or to book an appointment at, Call 17822123 or 17740485 or send your queries to marketing@kimsbh.com. Visit www.kimsbh.com