OCR Text |
Show FOR NOSEBLEED. Nosebleed is so common in childhood that little account is ordinarily made of it. Where it occurs repeatedly without with-out apparent provocation, however, effort ef-fort should be made not only to check the Immediate attack, but to ascertain the cause of the trouble. It is well known that heart disease, congestion of the liver and other conditions affected affect-ed by or affecting the circulation of the blood, predispose to nosebleed, and considerable con-siderable anxiety is frequently felt lest the nosebleed of childhood may be the result of rerious constitutional causes. Most commonly the cause is local. The best means of checking the immediate im-mediate attack is pressure with 'the fingers on the upper lip, just beneath the nostrils. A small pad of absorbent cotton or a Diece of handkerchief may be placed inside the lip and tightly 'pressed against tht gum from without, thus compressing the two small articles of the upper lip that supply the nose. These can ordinarily be felt pulsating In this locality. If the bleeding Is profuse or prolonged, prolong-ed, the child should be placed in a restful rest-ful positier but with the head elevated, while ice ., -y be held to the forehead or back or the heck; To decrease still further the blood pressure within the vessels of the nose, a mustard foot-bath is of service. In the meantime blowine the nose must be avoided. Plugging the nostrils, both in front and back, is a last resort to keep the sufferer from actual peril. The predisposing causes of nosebleed are, as has been said, commonly local. Careful examination of the nose by the physician is, therefore, always necessary neces-sary in recurrent attacks. Diseased areas in the nose are usually found, in which the vessels are spongy and unnaturally un-naturally turgid. The degression of tha child's health caused by repeated attacks of nosebleed nose-bleed not infrequently requires attention. atten-tion. If the trouble is due to systemic weakness, attention is to be especially directed to an improvement of the general gen-eral condition: while if the lungs are themselves weak, repeated attacks of nosebleed are sometimes indications of the need of a change of climate, or proper physical exercise at home. |