It doesn’t matter how old you are, you can experience a nosebleed (or epistaxis). They’re more prevalent in younger children and the elderly and for the most part, a nosebleed isn’t a serious ailment and they can be treated at home. Here’s the thing, though, suffering frequent nosebleeds is miserable. When nosebleeds happen, they should be easy to cope with, with a good position and a few tissues. Unfortunately, there are some nosebleeds that can’t be tamed with conventional therapies and you may need to seek the help of an ear, nose and throat doctor. Rarely is a nosebleed a symptom of something more serious, but you can still get specialized treatment for any kind of nosebleed, whether chronic or not.

Understanding epistaxis

One of the most obvious symptoms of epistaxis is blood dripping from one or both nostrils. There are also some situations where blood pours down the back of the throat and it’s not comfortable. Two types of epistaxis are recognized by ear, nose and throat doctors and these are:

Anterior: Originating in the front of the nose, these are the most common ones that people experience. Children especially experience this type of nosebleed and it’s in the lower part of the septum. It’s full of smaller blood vessels and these can be broken by a bump to the nose or even a scratch from a fingernail.
Posterior: Originating higher up in the nasal cavity, a posterior nosebleed means that blood flows out of the front of the noise or toward the back of the mouth and down the throat – regardless of the position of the sufferer. It can be caused by allergies, but it’s characterized by more serious conditions such as blood clotting disorders or tumors.

A diagnosis

Normally, if you are experiencing chronic nosebleeds, you’ll be referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor like Mountain ENT by your primary care physician. They have the skills to diagnose and treat the cause of your nosebleeds and combat the issue. You’ll have a thorough examination completed by the ENT and sometimes, you may need to be referred to hospital for further treatment. Your diagnosis of chronic nosebleeds includes testing and blood testing to rule out any bleeding abnormalities that could be contributing to the issue. Posterior nosebleeds, especially, can be related to more serious issues, which include:

Blood-clotting disorders
High blood pressure
Nasal cavity tumors
Osler-Weber-Rendu disease, also known as hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, which means that abnormal blood vessels form in certain organs.

Treatment options

The way that your nosebleed is treated by your ear, nose and throat doctor is directly related to the severity and cause of the nosebleed. The options can vary from simple procedures to complex surgical interventions. Contrary to popular belief, it’s not a good idea to tip your head back and pinch the nose, but tipping the head forward instead is a better option. This is a basic first aid strategy, but it doesn’t work for everyone, especially if the nosebleeds you have are chronic. When bleeding is draining down the throat and is profuse, you need more than a pinch and tilt to stop it. Severe blood loss is not a joke and can relate to cardiac issues and anemia. This can then lead to a decline in health in other areas and you end up with gastric symptoms to go with your anemia – it’s not fun. Your ENT could pack the nose at the back to create enough pressure to stop the bleeding while deciding how to manage the nosebleeds going forward.

Surgical options

Chronic nosebleeds can be miserable and there are options to permanently attempt to correct the issue. These include:

Ligation: The tying off an artery that supplies blood to the nasal vessels to prevent further bleeding.

Nonsurgical options

Not all nosebleeds require you to have a surgical procedure, so don’t panic. Your ear, nose and throat doctor will have nonsurgical options to help you to manage the bleeding and these can include:

Nasal packing: Same as above, with packing to put pressure on the vessels and stop the blood.
Cauterization: A nasal cautery seals the vessels to stop them from leaking down your throat. This can then promote scar tissue to form and stop any more nosebleeds.

If you are worried about your options for chronic nosebleeds, give Mountain ENT a call today on one of the following numbers: