Epistaxis pathophysiology

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Editor in Chief:: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D.. Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Amir Behzad Bagheri, M.D.

Overview

All nosebleeds are due to tears in the mucosal lining and the many small blood vessels it contains. Fragility or injury may cause the tears, while inflammation, coagulation problems and other disorders may make the injury harder to repair. In some patients rapture of nasal blood vessels is spontaneous.

Pathophysiology

Different causes tear vessels of nose plexuses and motive epistaxis:"Epistaxis (Nose Bleed)".

• Epistaxis is due to tears in the mucosal lining and the many small blood vessels it contains. It can start by trauma, nasal picking, coagulopathies tumors or spontaneous.
• There is not enough evidence that hypertension is a risk factor for epistaxis. The role of lowering blood pressure to control and prevent epistaxis remains controversial.
• Anterior epistaxis is more common, and source of this bleeding is usually Kiesselbach's plexus.
• Posterior bleeding is less common and harder to stop, and source of this bleeding is usually Woodruff's plexus. Bleeding from this plexus may cause aspiration and show bleeding with coughing and hemoptysis.