Outflow of blood from the nose is a fairly common occurrence. This problem may seem frivolous. It can occur at almost any age as a result of exposure to various factors. In many people, bleeding is rare and goes away on its own. But this phenomenon cannot be taken lightly. It can indicate a violation of the body. Why does the nose bleed? Sections of the article are devoted to this question.
Symptoms
The flow of blood from the nose is a condition that is much easier to determine than to cure. It occurs under different circumstances and can be both mild and intense. In the first case, the process stops after medical measures.
It is not accompanied by the release of a large volume of blood. With a vivid manifestation of the symptom, it does not go away for a long time. Procedures aimed at eliminating the ailment are ineffective. A person loses a large amount of blood, often it enters the pharynx and digestive organs. In severe cases, complications develop. The consequences can be listed:
- Decrease in hemoglobin content. The malaise is accompanied by a pale skin tone, a feeling of brokenness, dizziness, accelerated heart rate, and a drop in blood pressure.
- Shock state. It occurs due to the loss of a significant amount of blood.
Why does the nose sometimes bleed? This question is asked by people of different age categories. There are many reasons for this phenomenon. It should be noted that malaise can occur during a period of physical stress, at rest, at various periods of the day.
Intensity classification
In connection with this characteristic, several types of bleeding are distinguished:
- Insignificant. It does not pose a threat to the health of the individual. A person loses several milliliters of blood. The negative consequence of the condition may be fear or loss of consciousness in the child.
- Easy degree. It is characterized by a loss of about 12 percent of the total blood volume. The condition can provoke a feeling of weakness and dizziness, an acceleration of the heart rate, and a pale skin tone.
- Medium degree. In this situation, there is a loss of about 1400 milliliters of blood. Malaise is accompanied by weakness, headache, thirst, and respiratory failure.
- Severe degree. It is associated with a loss of 20 percent or more of the total blood volume. There comes a shock state, which is characterized by a significant drop in blood pressure, loss of consciousness.
Despite the fact that in many cases a symptom occurs suddenly and stops without medical intervention, the question of why the nose is bleeding is relevant. After all, the frequent manifestation of the sign indicates a pathology that requires diagnosis and therapy.
General reasons
As factors that can provoke malaise, you can list:
- Mechanical damage to the nasal cavity.
- Cocaine use.
- Blood clotting problems.
- Lack of essential substances (vitamins C and K).
- Increased blood pressure.
- Acute inflammatory processes in the respiratory system.
- Imbalance of hormones.
- Long exposure to the sun.
- Weakness of the walls of blood vessels.
Local causes
They are associated with pathology of the nasal cavity. Also, these factors can be associated with various environmental influences. The cessation of the negative effect leads to the elimination of the symptom. Why does the nose bleed? Local causes include:
- Mechanical damage. They lead to a violation of the integrity of the mucous membranes. This happens when removing dead skin from the nasal cavity, contact with foreign objects, blowing your nose.
- Sudden pressure surges. The condition is characteristic of divers, climbers and pilots.
- Neoplasms of a benign or malignant nature (for example, polyps or carcinoma).
- The effect of cold air or high temperatures.
- Abnormalities in the structure of the nasal cavity or surgical interventions.
- Ulcers on the surface of the mucous membrane, inflammatory processes in it.
- Diseases caused by exposure to viruses.
- Protracted sinusitis.
- Tumors formed from blood vessels.
Factors associated with pathologies of other organs and systems
Why does a person have blood flowing from his nose? The answer to this question often lies in reasons not related to the illnesses and injuries of this body. These circumstances include the following:
- Damage to the head as a result of bruising, falling. If a person has a broken base of the skull, the bleeding should be followed by the release of a transparent liquid.
- Defects in the structure of the myocardium.
- Adrenal neoplasms.
- Hypertension.
- Excessive thyroid activity.
- Imbalance in hormonal balance in the fairer sex.
- Neurocirculatory dystonia.
- Pathologies of the hematopoietic system (including those having a malignant nature).
- Cirrhosis of the liver.
- Blood clotting problems.
- Anemia.
- AIDS virus.
Other reasons
There are factors of a different nature that can explain why blood flows from the nose . To such circumstances, experts consider the following:
- Drug use by inhalation. In this case, the symptom occurs quite often.
- Long-term use of drugs (e.g., blood thinners).
- Alcohol-containing products. It contributes to an increase in the size of blood vessels.
- The period of gestation.
- Drugs that are used to treat viral pathologies of the respiratory system or allergic reactions. Hormonal drugs (e.g. sprays, drops) negatively affect the nasal mucosa.
- Emotional overload, physical strain.
- Fatigue and lack of sleep. These phenomena explain why blood flows from the nose in the morning.
Associated symptoms
This symptom is not considered an independent disease. It only signals the presence of health problems. However, the combination of this symptom with others can answer the question of why blood flows from the nose in an adult or a child.
If the patient has high blood pressure, this symptom indicates the development of hypertension. A pale shade of the skin, their dryness indicate a lack of hemoglobin. In some cases, this situation is associated with cancer pathologies of the blood. If there are hematomas on the body, a clotting disorder may be suspected. When identifying the cause that contributes to the onset of the symptom, circumstances such as lifestyle and external factors are taken into account.
Nasal bleeding in minors
This problem is faced by many children. If it does not occur often, parents should not worry. But intense and intermittent bleeding can damage the baby’s health. After all, a growing body is having difficulty recovering from these shocks. Why does a child have nosebleeds? Reasons may include the following:
- The presence of neoplasms in the body cavity. Polyps or adenoids are common in childhood and require surgical intervention.
- The presence of foreign objects (sometimes children put toys, beads in their nose).
- Mechanical damage.
- Abuse of sprays to eliminate the symptoms of a cold.
- Oncological diseases (for example, leukemia) can be an explanation of why a child has blood flowing from his nose. Therefore, if the malaise is often repeated and associated with high fever, muscle discomfort, pallor, loss of appetite, you need to seek medical help.
When is a specialist consultation needed?
If a symptom occurs, its nature should be taken into account. Blood from the nose can have a bright scarlet shade, a liquid structure or be dark cherry, with clots. In some cases, it is allocated in large quantities, in others it is not enough. In some patients, malaise occurs spontaneously. There are pathologies that are associated with a frequent manifestation of the symptom. To answer the question of why blood flows from the nose, the doctor should pay attention to these circumstances. To identify the diagnosis, you need to consult a specialist in the field of otolaryngology. The doctor can redirect the patient to a cardiologist, oncologist, surgeon. If a person encounters a symptom after mechanical damage, it is necessary to contact a trauma center.
How to help with bleeding at home?
Ailment that poses a threat to the patient requires an ambulance. Before her arrival, you can alleviate the condition like this:
- Place a person in a horizontal position, tilting his head forward or to the side.
- Create a relaxed atmosphere.
- Put a cold lotion on the bridge of the nose.
- Place a swab previously moistened with drops to reduce blood vessels, petroleum jelly or vegetable fat in the nasal cavity.
- Measure blood pressure. If it is elevated, a special medicine should be given to the patient.
- Unfasten tight clothing and open the window.
- In the presence of sunstroke, a person should be placed in a cool place and a cloth dipped in cool water should be placed on his forehead.
Raising the patient’s head is strictly prohibited.
Blood can enter the respiratory system or digestive tract. Also, the patient should not blow his nose. Hot foods and drinks should be avoided. If blood enters the mouth, it must be spit out. Activities are aimed at eliminating the external manifestations of malaise. They do not fight the cause. Therefore, it is possible that the symptom will occur again. Only a doctor can answer the question of why blood flows from the nose.
Therapy
After carrying out diagnostic measures, the specialist selects a treatment method. Common ways to deal with the problem are:
- The cessation of blood flow with tampons moistened with special means. The procedure is performed from the side of the pharynx or nostrils. Medicines that are used by specialists during this manipulation contain substances that stop the blood.
- Cauterization of blood vessels using certain chemical compounds.
- Therapy, which is carried out using a laser, ultrasound, nitrogen in liquid form.
The selection of the treatment method is determined by why the nose often bleeds, the causes of the symptom in a particular patient.
Other methods
Of course, periodically recurring malaise must be fought. However, there are times when the above procedures are unacceptable. There are other methods to deal with the problem:
- Surgery with suturing large arteries.
- If pathologies of the myocardium, urinary system, liver or other organs are an explanation of why blood often flows from the nose, the specialist prescribes special preparations for the patient.
- With oncological diseases (for example, leukemia), complex medical measures are carried out in a hospital.