Nosebleeds in children
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What are frequent nosebleeds?
Frequent nosebleeds are very common in children. Most of the time, the cause of these nosebleeds is never known.

If your child has a nosebleed after falling, their nose may be broken. So you should make sure they see a doctor as soon as possible.
Children often get a nosebleed because they injure themselves. They might get one, for example, if they fall over and hit their face during rough play or while riding a bike.

If your child's nose bleeds after a blow or injury, see a doctor right away. The doctor will check whether the nose is broken and see if any other injuries need to be treated.1 2

The advice here applies to repeated nosebleeds that happen for no clear reason.

Nosebleeds usually come from broken blood vessels inside the nose, near the nostrils. Repeated nosebleeds in children can be caused or made worse by:

  • Picking the nose1 2 3 4
  • Having an object stuck in the nose2 4
  • Having an infection in the skin inside the nose3
  • Using nasal drops or sprays too much to treat a runny nose.4

Very rarely, nosebleeds are caused by a problem with the structure of a child's nose, or by a benign growth (a growth that is not cancer).3

Frequent nosebleeds can be a sign of a serious disease, but this is very rare. Diseases that affect the blood's ability to clot and some cancers can cause repeated nosebleeds in children, but this is extremely unusual.3 If your doctor suspects a serious cause for the nosebleeds, he or she may order blood tests or refer your child to a specialist.



Sources for the information on this page:
  1. Medline Plus. Nosebleed. Available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003106.htm (accessed on 28 May 2008).
  2. American Academy of Family Physicians. Nosebleeds: What to do when your nose bleeds. Available at http://familydoctor.org/132.xml (accessed on 28th May 2008).
  3. Burton MJ, Doree CJ. Interventions for recurrent idiopathic epistaxis (nosebleeds) in children (Cochrane review). In: The Cochrane Library, Issue 1, 2004. Wiley, Chichester, UK.
  4. Kucik CJ, Clenney T. Management of epistaxis. American Family Physician. 2005; 71: 305-311. 15686301
This information is for educational use only, and is not a substitute for prompt professional medical advice. Readers should always consult a physician or other professional for advice and treatment.