Nosebleeds are usually not a sign of anything serious and are most often treated at home. But persistent or long-lasting nosebleeds can be linked to having high blood pressure, which can cause a multitude of other health problems.
Nosebleeds are pretty common and most people will experience them every now and again. Anyone can get a nosebleed, but they most often affect:
- children between two and 10 years of age
- elderly people
- pregnant women
- people who take blood thinning medication such as aspirin or anticoagulants, such as warfarin
- people with blood clotting disorders, such as haemophilia
Other symptoms include headaches, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, nausea, confusion and severe anxiety.
In 2019, the British Heart Foundation reported that just over a quarter of adults in the UK – around 14.4 million people – have high blood pressure.
Only nine million of these are diagnosed – making over five million people who have not yet been diagnosed with having hypertension.
The charity also estimated that 1.3 million of these may be under the age of 45.
High blood pressure is easy to diagnose, as a blood pressure check with your doctor takes only a matter of minutes.