Nosebleeds in children and the necessary evil of air-conditioning

Though nosebleeds due to nasopharyngeal cancer are quite common in Malaysia, they occur mostly in adults over age 40, and rarely in children. Photo: 123rf.com

Among the most common reasons parents bring their child to consult an ear, nose and throat (ENT) surgeon is blood coming out from the nose.

Some people mistakenly think the medical term “epistaxis” refers only to profuse bleeding from the nose, but it really accounts for any amount of blood, whether it’s mixed scantily with mucous, spotty bleeding of a few drops or a heavy flow akin to an open tap.