Nose Bleeding in Kids

Everyone has had nose bleeding without any obvious reason at least once in a lifetime. It often happens that the children’s nose starts to bleed all of a sudden. Nevertheless, the reasons for this phenomenon are very specific. And if you notice that your kid is inclined to nose bleeding, you should visit the pediatrician immediately.

Nose bleeding in a child can be of two types:

1. bleeding from the anterior nasopharynx (in this case, the vessel which is located directly on the nasal septum is damaged);
2. bleeding from the back of the nose (it often occurs in case of a trauma, high blood pressure or as the background symptom of some serious diseases).

In winter, nose bleeding in children occurs much more frequently than in the warmer months.

As a rule, children often suffer from the bleeding from the anterior nasopharynx. The distinguishing feature of this type is that blood comes from only one nostril. When this happens, blood stops quickly in most cases.

When the damage to the vessel is located at the back of the nose, blood usually comes from both nostrils and the bleeding is very heavy and difficult to stop.

But whatever type of bleeding the child has, it is necessary to try to stop it as soon as possible. Fortunately, these manipulations do not require any special effort on the part of parents.

How to stop nose bleeding: first aid to a child

• Seat the child with the back straight, the body leaning slightly forward, and the head slightly lowered.
• Gently squeeze the kid’s nostrils with your fingers (in other words – squeeze the nose);
• Stay in this position for at least 10 minutes (and use your parent’s will not to look in the child’s nose every 30 seconds in order to check if it is still bleeding or not). It is important to squeeze the nose and stay in this position for at least 10 minutes.
• While holding the nostrils clamped for 10 minutes, it is useful to attach ice cubes or anything cold to the nose. In addition, it is useful to give the child something cold (ice-cream, glass of ice water through a straw) to eat or drink. Cold in the mouth stops nose bleeding effectively.

Mistakes that adults make, when they need to provide first aid in case of nose bleeding:

• Do not throw the child’s head back because the blood will flow through the rear wall of the nasopharynx rather than from the nose. In this situation, you cannot determine whether or not the bleeding has stopped and whether it is intense; besides, you cannot be sure that the kid will not choke (if there is a lot of blood).
• Do not push cotton wool or tampons inside the child’s nose. Instead let the blood flow out freely; the blood will soak the cotton wool and thicken, sticking to the nasal mucosa. As soon as you pull out the bloody tampons, the bleeding may start again.
• Do not make your child lie down – if the bleeding is strong, it will end in bloody vomiting, which almost always leads to choking in the supine position. It is best for the child to sit, leaning the body forward.
• In case of epistaxis, it is not necessary to make the child speak or move: both actions provoke further bleeding.
• In some cases of nose bleeding you must call the doctor.

Despite the fact that nose bleeding is usually not too serious and is easy to stop, there are situations when it is vital to take the child to the doctor. These situations include the following circumstances:

• If the bleeding has not stopped after ten minutes – repeat the entire procedure from the beginning (another 10 minutes). If in this case (after a total of 20 minutes since the beginning of the first aid) blood is still running from the nose, it is a 100% reason to urgently call a physician.
• If the child has intensive nose bleeding, which occurs from both nostrils simultaneously.
• If epistaxis (nose bleeding) is accompanied by some other bleeding (bleeding from the ear, from the genitals etc.).
• Be sure to show your child to the doctor if nose bleeding has become regular (daily, 2-3 times a day, once a week, etc.).

The need for a medical consultation in such circumstances is justified because in rare cases bleeding from the nose may not simply result from the burst vessel in the nose; instead, it may be a symptom of a dangerous disease.

Causes of sudden nosebleeds

Finally, it’s time to find out why children and adults have such a thing as nose bleeding. In 90% of the cases, nose bleeding happens because of the burst blood vessels in the front of the nose. This is facilitated by:

• Dry areas of the nasal mucosa;
• Dust, smoke, animal fur – it all causes the increased production of mucus in the nose and fragility of blood vessels in the nasal septum;
• Very hot and dry air in the room where the child lives;
• Excessive physical strain;
• Strong stress.
• But the reasons could also be serious and dangerous at times. For example:
• Internal injuries;
• Bleeding disorders;
• Circulatory disorders;
• Liver disease;
• High blood pressure;
• Diseases of the cardiovascular system;

If you go to a pediatrician with one of the complaints mentioned above as a way to attract a health care professional and treat the case of nose bleeding in a child, the doctor will prescribe tests and studies that will help to eliminate (or sometimes, alas, confirm) the presence of one of such diseases in a child.