Case history
Case history #1
A 7-year-old girl presents with frequent nosebleeds, worse on the left. There is no active bleeding on presentation. Her mother reports previous cautery in clinic using silver nitrate. She has concerns about the cautery being repeated as it was painful for the child. Examination shows small blood vessels in the most anterior septal mucosa, bilaterally.
Case history #2
A 50-year-old man arrives at the emergency department with an active nosebleed. This began on the right side but now he has blood in both nostrils as well as in his throat. He carries a towel partly covered with blood, which he uses to catch blood dripping from his nose and coughed from his throat. He appears anxious, with a pulse of 96 bpm and a BP of 165/95 mmHg.
Other presentations
Rarely, nosebleeds may drain posteriorly to cause haemoptysis or haematemesis.
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