What should I check if my child has a nosebleed?

When the weather changes or the seasons alternate, the temperature is very unstable. Since children's physical development is not yet complete and their resistance to external stimuli is relatively weak, children are prone to nosebleeds at this time. When a child has a nosebleed, parents should not be anxious. After stopping the nosebleed in time, it is best to take the child to the hospital for examination to see what causes the child's nosebleed.

What should I check if my child has a nosebleed?

The main causes of nosebleeds in children are:

1. Nosebleeds are prone to occur when the nasal mucosa is dry, the capillaries are dilated, there is nasal inflammation or irritation, such as various rhinitis, sinusitis, nasal tuberculosis, nasal syphilis, nasal trauma, deviated nasal septum, nasal foreign bodies or nasal tumors.

2. Poor climatic conditions, such as dry air, heat, low air pressure, cold weather, and high room temperature can cause nosebleeds.

3. Some children have the bad habit of picking their noses with their hands. When the nasal mucosa is dry, it is easy to pick their noses and cause bleeding.

4. Bad habits such as being picky about food, eating a partial diet, and not eating vegetables can also cause nosebleeds due to vitamin deficiency.

5. External injury is a major cause of nosebleeds in children. Children are active and naughty, and may accidentally bump into hard objects, which may cause nosebleeds. Also, children should be educated not to pick their noses casually, as picking their noses may damage the nasal mucosa, leading to nosebleeds.

6. Nasal mucosal erosion, nasal septum deviation, etc. This is the most common cause. It is recommended to go to the ENT department for examination and diagnosis.

7. If there is a decrease in platelets in the blood, it is recommended to check the routine blood test. It may be a complication of other diseases. Parents should not take it lightly.

At the same time, certain systemic diseases such as fever, hypertension, arteriosclerosis, leukemia, thrombocytopenic purpura, aplastic anemia, etc. can also cause nosebleeds.

What to do if your baby has a nosebleed

1. Use your thumb and index finger to pinch the child's nostrils on both sides, press the front of the nasal septum, and let the child breathe through his mouth. Parents should use their thumb and index finger to pinch the nostrils on both sides for about 10-20 minutes (if you are sure which nostril is bleeding, you can directly press the bleeding nostril). Many parents first think of using paper towels to block the bleeding. In fact, the pressure of paper towels is usually not enough to stop the bleeding. Moreover, paper towels are not sterilized and can easily induce infection. While compressing the nostrils, sit down with your head slightly tilted forward and downward so that you can spit out the blood in your mouth. Instead of asking their children to hold their heads up like many parents do. Because when the child raises his head, the blood will be swallowed involuntarily, which will irritate the gastrointestinal tract and cause nausea, vomiting, etc. Especially when the amount of bleeding is large, aspiration may occur.

2. Apply cold water to the child’s forehead and nose. When a small amount of bleeding occurs, parents can use ice packs or wet towels to cool the forehead and neck, or rinse the mouth with cold or ice water to constrict blood vessels and reduce bleeding.

3. Use clean cotton wool or soft tissue paper to plug the child's nasal cavity and apply pressure to stop the bleeding. After the bleeding stops, observe for more than 1 hour before gently removing the blockage.

4. For older children whose fontanelles have closed, you can press the Xing point on the fontanelle to help stop the bleeding. Shangxing point is located 1 inch behind the front hairline on the midline of the head. Note: The 1 cun here is equal to the width of the child’s thumb, not the 1 cun of the city ruler.

5. If the nose bleeding cannot be stopped after taking the above measures, or the child is bleeding heavily and is accompanied by pale face, cold sweats, rapid heart rate, etc., the child should be sent to the hospital immediately. In addition, if the child has recurrent nosebleeds, he or she should also go to the hospital for examination to see if there is rhinitis, foreign body in the nasal cavity, nasal and nasopharyngeal tumors or blood disease.

6. If your child often has nosebleeds and no systemic diseases are found, you can pick some "thorny vegetables" and boil them in water for your child to drink. The traditional Chinese medicine name of "thorny vegetables" is small thistle, and the whole plant is used as medicine.