Nosebleeds (Epistaxis)
Kirthank Manivannan
Intro to Nosebleeds
What are nosebleeds?
Nosebleeds are when you bleed from the nose
They are common for everyone
Some require medical attention (posterior nosebleeds)
I always get nosebleeds, so I chose to talk about this
topic, since it relates to me, and it can help me find a
better and efficient way of stopping one
Percentage of General Population who get Nosebleeds
6%
Once in a Lifetime
Who need Medical Attention
60%
Why do they Happen?
Nosebleeds happen because;
Dry weather (no humidity) causes membrane in nose to
dry and crack, causing blood to flow through
Upper respiratory infections during Winter
Nose injuries
Trauma
Allergies
Use of Nasal Sprays or blood thinning medications
Too much Alcohol
Nose problems inherited from parents
Two Types of Nosebleeds
Anterior: Bleeding comes from blood vessels on nasal
septum of inside of nose.
Posterior: Bleeding from artery in back of the nose (less
common, require serious medical attention)
% of all Nosebleeds to Fall into this
Category
10%
Anterior
Posterior
90%
How the Seasons Affect
Bloody Noses
The seasons affect bloody noses because the more drier the
season (Spring, Winter), the more dry and cracked the nasal
membranes become, and so you are more prone for bloody
noses or related infections.
People Admitted to Hospital for Nosebleeds (2005-2009)
Summer
Season
Spring
People Admitted to Hospital for Nosebleeds (2005-2009)
Winter
Autumn
0.00
50.00
100.00
150.00
200.00
Number of People
250.00
300.00
350.00
Nosebleed Treatments:
What is Effective and
Ineffective?
Option 1
Tilt your head back to stop blood coming out
Yes or No?: No
This can cause blood to congeal in your throat, which will
affect your breathing and can harm your health. The
blood can also choke you.
Option 2
Use nasal sprays to prevent bloody noses
Yes or No?: No
Nasal sprays can damage the inner membrane of your
nose, causing it more prone to bleeding
Option 3
Tilt head down for 2-5 minutes, with a tissue at your
nose, and hold the nose around the middle
Yes or No?: Yes
Holding the nose around the middle makes the blood
stay back inside, since the pressure keeps the blood
inside. Also the time taken to do this will mean that the
blood will eventually dry up
Option 4
Tilt your head forward, use a tissue to stop the flow of
blood, put an ice pack between your eyebrows, and
hold your nose around the middle
Yes or No?: Yes
One of the best ways to get rid of a bloody nose, as it
stops the flow, since the pressure in the middle of the
holds the blood back, and the ice pack should shrink
the size of the blood cells
Option 5
Tilt your head forward with a tissue, and hold an ice
pack to the back of your neck
Yes or No: Yes, but not very effective.
According to several sites, this method actually works,
but is not as effective as option 4
Option 6
Take a capsule or teaspoon of cayenne pepper and
pinch your nose together
Yes or No?: Yes
Cayenne pepper helps stop bleeding very quickly, in
about a minute or two, and the reason why is because
the cayenne pepper reacts with the body and equalizes
the blood pressure, so the blood clots faster.
Option 7
Going to a doctor to cauterize a wound inside the
nose, which could be causing a nosebleed
Yes or No: Yes, but only for some cases
Cauterizing a wound inside your nose to stop
nosebleeds is a permanent solution. It can stop
nosebleeds for years to come. However, it is usually used
for more severe cases of nosebleeds, such as posterior
nosebleeds, since severe cases have a much more urgent
need to stop.
The Best Option (for me)
For me, the best option when thinking about
nosebleeds is a combination of:
Options 4 and 5
The reason being that 4 concentrates highly on
shrinking the blood cells with ice, while option 5 makes
you pinch your nose while tilting your head forward for
a couple of minutes
This is very effective when put together since you
manage to shrink and hold back and think a bloody
nose in a very short time
References
[Bloody nose] [Online image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/
columnists/kelvin_mackenzie/2463776/Kelvin-MacKenzie-Vote-today-give-MPs-a-bloody-nose.html
I used the blood on this image in my graphic manipulation in photoshop.
Drugs that cause nosebleeds. (n.d.). Livestrong. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from
http://www.livestrong.com/article/190148-drugs-that-cause-nosebleeds/
This site is reliable since it is written by medical professional whom are dedicated to
people's health and try to help them with reliable information about illnesses.
How to cauterize a nose bleed. (n.d.). eHow. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://www.ehow.com/
how_6175086_cauterize-nose-bleed.html
This article on this site is reliable since it was written by a trained medical student, who
works in physiology and medicine.
[Nasal spray] [Online image]. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.viewpoints.com/
Ocean-Premium-Saline-Nasal-Spray-reviews
This picture is the one I am using in my graphic manipulation project.
Nosebleed. (n.d.). Emedicinehealth. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://www.emedicinehealth.com/
nosebleeds/article_em.htm
This site is reliable since all the articles on it are written by expert physicians.
Nose bleed. (n.d.). Hpathy. Retrieved May 13, 2011, from http://health.hpathy.com/
nosebleed-symptoms-treatment-cure.asp
This site is reliable because the article on nose bleeds on this site was written by a
professional doctor.
Nosebleed (epistaxis). (n.d.). MedicineNet.com. Retrieved May 13, 2011, from
http://www.medicinenet.com/nosebleed/article.htm
This site is reliable because it is composed by over 70 professional physicians and doctors,
whom are all qualified in the field of healthcare and medicine.
Nosebleeds. (n.d.). Health-bytes. Retrieved May 14, 2011, from http://www.health-bytes.com/
nosebleeds.htm
This site is reliable since the maker of it is a board-certified pediatrician, and works as
a doctor, which means he knows what he is talking about when it comes to health and medicine.
Nosebleeds. (1999). SIRS discover. Retrieved May 17, 2011, from http://discoverer.prod.sirs.com/
discoweb/disco/do/article?urn=urn%3Asirs%3AUS%3BARTICLE%3BART%3B0000108747
This site is reliable because the article is from a site which was written by doctors and
medical professionals.
Seasonal variation to epistaxis in East Kent, UK. (n.d.). ISPUB. Retrieved May 28, 2011, from
http://www.ispub.com/journal/the_internet_journal_of_otorhinolaryngology/volume_12_number_2_7/
article/a-seasonal-variation-to-epistaxis-in-east-kent-uk.html
This site is reliable since it was published by a science research publications center.
What parents should know about nesebleeds. (2005, October 3). Questia school. Retrieved May 17,
2011, from http://www.questiaschool.com/PM.qst?a=o&d=5011200219
This article on the database is reliable because it is written by a doctor who is a
professional in her line of work and knows what she is talking about.