Quick help with nosebleeds Do not lay your head in the neck

Prevention and First Aid: Keep your nose clean
Although nosebleeds are harmless in most cases, those affected are often disturbed. According to health experts, keep calm and follow some tips. Under no circumstances should the head be put on the neck. Also, some measures for the prevention of nosebleeds can be made.

Causes are often harmless
Nosebleeds often look very dangerous, but usually the causes of nosebleeds are harmless. However, not always: Frequent nosebleeds, according to health experts also point to a serious illness. It may, for example, be the result of excessive blood pressure or even a symptom of a blood coagulation disorder. Then you have to tackle the cause necessarily.

The causes of nosebleeds are usually harmless, but the bleeding can also be a symptom of dangerous diseases. In some cases it is advisable to go to the doctor. (Image: drubig-photo / fotolia.com)

Bleeding nose through dried up mucous membranes
However, the most common cause of a bleeding nose is dry air that dries out the nasal mucosa. This increases the risk that the skin tears, sometimes by a violent sneeze. The front part of the nose, which is traversed by small blood vessels, is particularly sensitive.

"This is a weak point, where it quickly comes to bleeding," said Jens Wagenknecht, board member of the German GP statement in a message from the news agency dpa. "A few drops of blood can look like a medical emergency when you have a nosebleed," says the doctor, who runs a practice in Varel, Lower Saxony. "It's usually just a few milliliters of blood that you lose."

Some people are more prone to nosebleeds
People who take blood thinners are more susceptible to nosebleeds. According to Clemens Heiser, senior physician at the ear, nose and throat clinic in the Klinikum rechts der Isar in Munich, there is also the possibility of spontaneous nosebleeds in influenza infections. Pregnant women are also more prone to bleeding noses because their mucous membranes are more well supplied with blood.

In children, the nose also bleeds "a bit more often," explains Hermann Josef Kahl, a doctor of paediatrics and adolescent medicine from Dusseldorf. However, this is usually safe.

keep Calm
For nosebleeds, it is always important to keep calm. Excitement and hectic increase the blood pressure, which in turn leads to more bleeding. Although some people still believe that it helps with nosebleeds, the head to put on the neck. But this allows the blood to "run backwards into the throat and through the esophagus into the stomach," as Winfried Goertzen of the Association of Otolaryngologists explained in an earlier communication. In addition, there is a risk that the blood gets into the respiratory tract. "This is especially dangerous if the patient is unconscious," said the ENT specialist.

Lean head slightly forward
Rather, the head should be leaned forward slightly. According to Wagenknecht, paper handkerchiefs or bundles of cloth should not get into the nostril: "That interferes with the coagulation of the blood," according to the expert. On constant wiping outside the nostril should also be waived. According to Heiser, it is better to put pressure on the nostrils. "This partially breaks the blood supply to the front of the nose."

Although a cool cloth in the neck can not hurt, but much impact should not expect it from affected. "That is, if so, more of a placebo effect," says Heiser. Bleeding in the front of the nose often stops after a very short time by itself.

Signs of arterial bleeding
A pulsating and bubbly bleeding nose is a sign of arterial bleeding, according to Heiser. Especially in the back of the nose larger arteries run. According to the physician, arterial bleeding will be difficult to stop by itself. In such cases, an ENT specialist can help to defecate the affected vessels or treat them with special tamponades.

Heiser recommends always to go to a doctor if the nose does not stop bleeding after about ten minutes. Patients who take blood thinners would hardly hesitate to seek medical treatment if they bleed heavily. "It's unlikely that the bleeding stops by itself."

For children who bleed from the nose for more than three to four minutes at a time, parents should react and go to the doctor with them, advises Kahl. If the nose bleeds again and again at intervals of a few days, without obvious injuries, a ENT specialist should always look for possible causes, according to Jens Wagenknecht.

Prevent nosebleeds
According to Heiser, a coagulation disorder may be due to repeated nosebleeds. "For example, in children." In rarer cases, small tumors are the cause. Even in the context of diseases such as hypertension (hypertension), arteriosclerosis (arteriosclerosis) or kidney disease, nosebleeds may be a symptom.

Often, however, the reason for constant bleeding is a small vessel on the nasal septum that is injured and therefore repeatedly ruptures. According to Heiser, ENT specialists use endoscopy to scan the nose for causes of bleeding. This may be followed by further examinations, such as blood tests or computed tomography.

Nosebleeds can be prevented, inter alia, by keeping the nasal mucous membranes as moist as possible. Jens Wagenknecht advises increasing the humidity in the bedroom and occasionally drinking at night. Remedies such as nasal ointment, saltwater spray and nasal oil can support attacked mucous membranes. (Ad)