Nosebleeds Are Nothing to Sneeze At

With
Valentine’s Day here, parents have been seeing red – not just in their
children’s valentines, but from blood that can come from their child’s nose
during a nosebleed. The clot thickens, so to speak, so let me provide some
information on this topic.

Nosebleeds
are probably as common as the common cold. They are usually caused by nasal
passages being exposed to dry air during the winter season or recurrent colds
and allergies that can make the inside lining of the nose raw, cracked and
crusted. This allows blood vessels to come to the surface of the nasal lining
and lead to bleeding. Often times, nosebleeds can run in families.

Home Care

• Stay
  calm and reassure your child the bleeding will stop.
• Apply
  direct pressure to the soft part of the nose
• Make
  sure your child is sitting up and their head is leaning forward. This makes
  them less apt to swallow blood.
• Don’t
  release pressure until 10 minutes have elapsed.
• A
  cold compress or ice pack to the nose can speed up stoppage of bleeding.
• Try
  not to blow the nose right after applying pressure, as it disturbs the new clot
  that has successfully formed.

Preventing Nosebleeds 

• Humidify
  the air in your home
• Apply
  Vaseline to the inside of the nose. This keeps the lining moist and prevents
  dryness and irritation.
• Explain
  to your child how picking their nose may increase nosebleeds
• Keep
  your child’s fingernails short, if they do pick
• Remind
  your child they can pick their friends, but they should not pick their nose or
  their friend’s nose.  

When to Seek Assistance

• Bleeding
  is occurring through both nostrils
• Bleeding
  continues for over fifteen minutes
• Bleeding
  appears heavy and is accompanied by dizziness or weakness or is the result of a
  fall or blow to the head.

If
prolonged bleeding also occurs from other areas like the gums or from a cut
elsewhere – or this happens a few times a week, please talk to your child’s
health care professional. They will want to examine your child’s nose and, if
necessary. perform some additional studies.

Hopefully,
tips like these will stop up any concerns you have and prevent you from seeing
red the next time you are worried about your child’s nose bleeds. 

Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and WPTZ Channel 5.

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