Nose Bleed

1895

What Causes It In Youth and Later In Life and What to Do.

Bleeding from the nose is caused by the congestion of the lining membrane of the nose.

This congestion may be the result of catarrh, or, more properly, of the diseased condition of the nasal membranes which is due to catarrh, or it may accompany congestion of some organ of the body, as the liver. It may also result from heart disease or even from dyspepsia.

Nose bleed in children is commonly supposed to indicate nothing more than that the child tires easily or is overactive. Yet even these terms express more than is obvious upon a casual reading of the words.

If a child tires easily, or, in other words, if the least overexertion at play or study results in a more or less severe attack of nose bleed, the child must be in a weakened state, while, on the other hand, if he is accustomed to allow his play or his studies so to absorb his interest as to make him forget his fatigue, he is placing an injudicious strain upon his constitution.

In either case he will be benefited by a curtailment of work and an increase in the amount of time allotted for rest until his body is more fully developed. No child's mind can be developed faster than the body except at the expense of health.

Nose bleed occurring in middle life and old age is a more serious thing, as it indicates a graver condition of affairs. It is usually coincident with disease of the liver, heart or kidneys. Its cure is of course dependent upon the restoration of the organs to a normal condition. In elderly persons the disorder sometimes appears to result from weakness, which, in turn, it aggravates.

It is a common saying that, in full blooded persons, an occasional nose bleed is beneficial, and this may in a certain sense be true, inasmuch as the nasal membranes are thus relieved of congestion. But it is safe to say that bleeding from the nose is never anything but a sign of weakness.

The treatment of an attack of nose bleed consists in absolute rest and cool applications to the head. The extremities should be warm. The head should not be held down over a basin, as this favors the flow of blood. One of the simplest and most effectual methods of stopping an ordinary attack is for the person to stand erect, with the head in the usual upright position and the hands extended at length directly over the head. — Youth's Companion.