• Question: why does the blood in your nose come out

    Asked by joshprudhoe12 to Bob, Katie, Nisha, Sallie, Vee on 4 Jul 2012.
    • Photo: Bob Bonwick

      Bob Bonwick answered on 4 Jul 2012:

      There are many ways of getting a nose bleed. Getting hit on the nose is the most common one, or sometimes if a person picks their nose, they can tear the delicate lining of the inside of the nose which will make it bleed too. The lining of the inside of the nose and back up into the cavity behind it is very thin and easily damaged if you are not careful. Sudden pressure change can also trigger a nose bleed, this is called ‘otic barotrauma’.

      Some people who are very sick and on drugs that make their skin and other membranes very weak can have nose bleeds more often. In some cases the nose will not stop bleeding, this is called ‘epistaxis’ and can be quite sever, however easily treated if caught.

      In more extreme cases the blood can flow up the duct that connects to your eyes and you can cry blood (if you have seen the james bond film – Quantum of Solace – the main bad guy has this problem).

    • Photo: Sallie Baxendale

      Sallie Baxendale answered on 4 Jul 2012:

      Some people develop bulges in the blood vessels at the top of their nose and the membrane becomes very thin – it doesn’t take much to brak it so they get nosebleeds. These can happen when they jump into a swimming pool, when they are on an aeroplane or following a small knock – it can also happen if you get really cross or excitied if your blood pressure goes up!

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