Clinical profile of patients of epistaxis: An experience from a tertiary level hospital in Jabalpur

Introduction: Epistaxis is one of the most common encountered otolaryngologic emergency and affects up to 60% of the population in their lifetime, of which 6% require medical attention. This study was done to find out the relationship between general diseases and the occurrence of epistaxis and to evaluate the methods required to manage bleeding from the nose. Materials and methods: Cases were taken for this study from various indoor and outpatient departments of N.S.C.B Medical College and Hospital Jabalpur from October 2013 till September 2014. Detailed history, clinical information was noted for all patients. All included patients underwent investigations as ordered by their doctor, and relevant clinical examinations were performed. Data was analyzed using appropriate statistical methods. Results: In this study, maximum number of subjects had bleeding from both nares followed by left and right nares respectively. Deviation to left was more common in this study with not much significant difference between the two sides. Tumors of nose (17.78%) were the most common associated disease in this study followed by hypertension (13.3%), diabetes mellitus was associated with 6.67% of subjects. 11.11% patients had nasal bone fracture and 11.11% of patients had enlarged external framework of nose mainly due to nasal masses. Most commonly used modality was anterior nasal packing in 40% cases, followed by surgery in 35.56% cases. Conclusions: These results illustrate the relation of epistaxis with past medical history, duration of bleeding. More research is required to understand the management patterns in different geographical locations.