Nosebleed - symptom

Alternative names:

bleeding from the nose; epistaxis

Home care:

Sit down and simply squeeze the soft portion of the nose between the fingers for about 5 minutes. Almost all nose bleeds can be controlled this way if sufficient time is allowed for the bleeding to stop.

Cold compresses or ice applied across the bridge of the nose may help.

Avoid packing the nose with gauze.

Call your health care provider if:

• a nosebleed occurs after an injury to the head it may indicate a skull fracture (X-rays should be taken no matter how trivial the blow seemed to be at the time).
• there are repeated nosebleeds, particularly if they are becoming more frequent and if they are not associated with a cold or other minor irritation.

What to expect at your health care provider's office:

A history will be obtained and a physical examination performed. In some situations, the patient may be monitored for signs and symptoms of hypovolemic shock.

Medical history questions documenting nosebleeds may include:

• quality
  • Do the nosebleeds involve bleeding a large amount?
  • Do the nosebleeds stop readily (with pressure to the nostrils)?

• time pattern
  • Did they begin recently?
  • Do the occur frequently or repeatedly (recurrent)?
  • Has a tendency to have nosebleeds been present lifelong?
  • Has it only occurred for the past few weeks or months?
    • How long?

  • Are nosebleeds only occasional?

• other
  • What other symptoms are also present?
  • Is there blood in the stools?
  • Are you vomiting blood?
  • Is there easy bruising or bleeding?
  • Is there petechiae (pinpoint red or purplish spots in the skin)?

Diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

• complete blood count
• partial thromboplastin time measurements
• prothrombin (PT)
• X-rays of the skull

After seeing your health care provider:
You may want to add a diagnosis related to nosebleeds to your personal medical record.