How to stop and prevent nosebleeds.
Nosebleeds are common and occur in both children and adults. There are quite a few reasons for their occurrence, and they are completely different. They can be harmless, such as minor vascular damage, but can signal about serious pathologies such as cardiovascular or kidney disease. Particular attention should be paid to symptoms accompanying bleeding, such as headaches or nausea.
The problem of frequent nosebleeds is most often seen before the age of 10 or over the age of 60.
Nosebleeds and their types
Bleeding is the outflow of blood outside the vessels, it is external, when it leaves the human body, and internal – inside the body. Of course, it is internal bleeding that is more dangerous.
Epistaxis is the medical term for nosebleeds.
The following epistaxis are distinguished:
- front. This is the most common type of nosebleeds;
- rear. This type should be examination by doctors;
- a dangerous form of bleeding when blood moves up the nasolacrimal canal and out through the eye sockets.
With every type of nosebleed, a child can have a headache. It should be noted that the headache can be different both by intensity and location. Namely: the pain can be aching, shooting, constant or throbbing; it can be located in the occipital or frontal lobe. If a child often has such a condition, then a cause of it should be found.
Causes of the nosebleeds
Headache and nosebleeds, according to medical data, can be a signal for a comprehensive examination of a child for any serious pathologies, but it can also be a sign of simple diseases.
In almost 95-98% of cases of nosebleeds in a child, it is the cause of anterior vascular disease. This can be determined if blood flows from one nostril. If the blood comes from two, then this is possible only if the rear part of the nose is damaged, which is quite seldom.
The vessel can be damaged in the following cases:
- the location of the vessels is superficial;
- if the child has inflammation, such as an infection or allergy;
- deviated nasal septum;
- trauma of the nose;
- long-term use of vasoconstrictor drops;
- the child has rather fragile vessels.
Among other causes of bleeding are:
- high blood pressure;
- heart failure;
- intracranial hypertension;
- hypovitaminosis C, E, K;
- poor blood clotting;
- kidney and liver disease.
Children are most prone to nosebleeds between the ages of 3 and 10. This can also be due to the following reasons:
- frequent SARS;
- inability to blow your nose correctly;
- hypersensitivity of children’s mucous membranes to external stimuli, for example, dry air, tobacco smoke, exposure to the sun, and so on;
- children can react to changing weather, which can be a signal of a possible high blood pressure.
First aid for the baby
The main task of parents when bleeding occurs is to help the child and prevent its recurrence. The algorithm of actions:
- First of all, do not panic, as the excitement of the parents is immediately transmitted to the children.
- Second, place the child on a chair or sofa and make sure that the head is tilted slightly forward.
- Third, make a cotton swab and moisten it with hydrogen peroxide (3%) and insert it firmly into the baby’s nostril. It is better to keep the tampon for at least 10 minutes.
- Fourthly, cold should be put on the bridge of the nose.
It is strictly forbidden to:
- throw your head back;
- blow your nose;
- talk;
- actively move.
The nosebleed should stop in 10-20 minutes, but if 20 minutes have passed, and it doesn’t it means that you need to call an ambulance.
Treatment and prevention
If a child often has nosebleeds, only a doctor can determine the causes of the pathology, as well as prescribe treatment. That is why it is necessary to visit a doctor if the child suffers from regular bleeding. It is also necessary to urgently contact a medical institution if it is not possible to stop the blood for more than 20 minutes.
When consulting a doctor with such symptoms, the pediatrician will examine the child, measure his blood pressure and also recommend monitoring him for several weeks and taking blood tests.
If the child has arterial hypertension or allergic rhinitis, the doctor will treat these diseases.
Also, treatment can be based on cauterization of the erosion of the nasal septum or damaged vessels, as well as the use of vitamin complexes, which include calcium, vitamin C and various minerals.
In addition, it is recommended to maintain the necessary air humidity in an apartment or house, to reduce the amount of time a child spends in front of a TV screen, computer or smartphone, to exclude sharp games or lifting weights.
After all, the reasons for such phenomena can be both completely harmless and more serious. That is why only a doctor, upon a thorough examination, can conclude about the true causes of bleeding and prescribe treatment. You should not leave the situation unattended, especially when it comes to the health of the child.
