Nosebleeds occur quite commonly in children and adults. The most common site of bleeding tends to occur at the anterior part of the nasal septum (the bony part which separates both nasal passages) where there are tiny delicate blood vessels which can bleed easily. Risk factors include digging of the nose e.g. with one’s fingers, seasonal changes eg in winter, hayfever or if the patient is on blood-thinning medication.

Simple treatment may just involve applying some ointment inside the nose or undergoing cautery with a special stick coated in a silver chemical to seal off the fragile blood vessels (silver nitrate cautery). This can be done easily in the clinic with the help of some local anaesthetic cream to make it totally comfortable.

If the nosebleeds do not get better, it is best to have it checked out by the ENT specialist to rule out more worrying problems such as a tumour growing inside the nose.  A soft thin flexible endoscope is passed into the nose to carefully examine both nasal passages and the back of the nose. The procedure is painfree and almost all patients, including older children, will be able to tolerate this without any problem.