Is nose bleeding a sign of leukemia?

In movies and TV dramas, there are often plots where the protagonist suddenly develops leukemia, and most of the time it is discovered because of nose bleeding. So, is there any connection between leukemia and nose bleeding?

Severe or frequent nose bleeding is indeed one of the clinical manifestations of leukemia. However, you cannot suspect leukemia as soon as you see nose bleeding. Leukemia is not a common disease, with only about 2 to 3 people per 100,000 people suffering from it. However, nose bleeding is very common. According to surveys, 60% of people have experienced nose bleeding.

Causes of Nosebleeds Nosebleeds can have systemic and local causes. Local causes include various rhinitis, sinusitis, nasal tuberculosis, nasal trauma, deviated nasal septum, nasal foreign bodies or nasal tumors, etc. Systemic causes mainly include the following categories: hypertension and arteriosclerosis. The blood vessels of these patients are more fragile, and the dry weather in autumn and winter makes the blood vessels more prone to rupture and bleeding; some blood system diseases, such as leukemia, thrombocytopenia, aplastic anemia, hemophilia, etc.; people who take anticoagulants for a long time, and those who have coagulation disorders caused by vitamin C and vitamin K deficiency, can also experience nosebleeds.

Although there are many causes of nosebleeds, according to statistics, most nosebleed attacks are not serious. Only 10% of patients with nosebleeds require medical treatment, and after active treatment, the prognosis is mostly good.

If nosebleeds occur frequently, or are accompanied by long-term low-grade or high-grade fever, pale complexion and other symptoms, you should be careful. You must go to the hospital in time for blood routine tests and other related tests, make a clear diagnosis as soon as possible, and carry out targeted treatment to avoid delaying the condition.

How to prevent nosebleeds To prevent nosebleeds, you can start from the following aspects in your daily life.

First of all, you should quit bad habits such as picking or blowing your nose to avoid damaging the blood vessels in your nose and inducing bleeding.

Second, actively treat underlying diseases, such as deviated nasal septum, hypertension, liver and kidney diseases, etc.

Third, the room temperature and humidity should be appropriate, and a humidifier can be used when the air is dry. If the living environment is very dry, you can also apply some oily ointments on the nose, such as erythromycin eye ointment, or drop peppermint paraffin oil into the nasal cavity, which has a good effect on treating nasal inflammation and moistening the nasal mucosa, and can effectively prevent dry nose bleeding.

According to traditional Chinese medicine, nosebleeds can be caused by heat evil invading the lungs, excessive stomach heat, liver fire, or qi and blood deficiency. People with heat are advised to eat less spicy, fried, and irritating foods.

People with yin deficiency need to prevent dryness in autumn and winter. The principle of diet should be based on the principles of lightness, moisture and warming. They can eat honey, pears, lilies, white fungus, glutinous rice, lotus roots and other yin-nourishing and moistening foods appropriately.

Note: Please follow your doctor’s advice on specific treatment and medication!

Copyright Notice:

This article is transferred from: China Journal of Traditional Chinese Medicine Author: Xu Wenjiang

The copyright belongs to the relevant rights holders. If there is any improper use, please feel free to contact us.

The articles and videos shared on this public account are only for learning, communication and reference. Non-TCM professionals are not allowed to try the medicine at will.