BODY SIGNAL ALERT NOSEBLEED
Description and Possible Medical Problems
Though a nosebleed usually arrives without warning and is alarming, it’s usually not a serious condition, and it disappears as quickly as it came.
In midlife adults and older, nosebleeds can occur for no apparent reason, or they may be due to a blow to the nose or even breathing dry air. This type of nosebleed starts and stops suddenly. The blood vessels on the front of the septum—the cartilage that divides the nose—are thin and fragile, and it doesn’t take much for them to break. However, there are some instances in older adults where a nosebleed can indicate a serious condition that warrants immediate medical attention, and that’s why it’s a Body Signal Alert.
More serious nosebleeds usually originate further back in the nose and may be caused by a number of factors, from an excess of anticoagulant medication such as aspirin to the rupture of an artery, or even as a symptom of a worsening case of hypertension.
Treatment
To stop a mild nosebleed, don’t lean your head back or lie down. Instead, sit up straight and pinch your nose so that you’re applying pressure to the septum. Apply ice; the bleeding should subside within a few minutes.
As far as a recurring or constant nosebleed is concerned, do not attempt to treat this mote serious type by yourself. Your doctot will first apply gauze soaked with anesthetic to the septum to shrink inflammation and stop the bleeding. If this is not successful, your doctor may choose to cauterize the site of the bleeding or to surgically place a temporary nasal balloon against the septum. This will help control the bleeding.
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