Epistaxis. A five-year review.

Abstract

A medical emergency deserves appropriate and timely intervention. Epistaxis is one of such emergency seen by Otolaryngologists. Nasal circulation is complex but epistaxis is usually described as either anterior or posterior with anterior epistaxis being common in children and young adults whereas posterior epistaxis is more often seen in older adults and the elderly.1 Several treatment modalities have been proffered. The introduction of Hopkins rod in the management of epistaxis allows diagnosis and treatment to become more precise. This facility is not available in most centers in Nigeria, and where available cost is a major limitation to its routine use. The treatment frequently offered in major Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) departments is nasal pack, which has being noted to be simple and cost effective.2 This paper highlights the burden, which epistaxis constitutes, and how it has been managed over a 5-year period in otorhinolaryngological practice in Ilorin, middle belt region of Nigeria. This was a retrospective study carried out on patients who presented with epistaxis at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital over a 5-year (1999–2003) period. Information on these patients was retrieved from hospital’s patients’ attendance register and case notes after due permission from relevant hospital authorities. These patients were classified into those who presented at the accident and emergency unit (adult and pediatric), patient who presented at the routine ENT clinic as out patients or referred from other departments. Data extracted included age, gender, causes of epistaxis, treatment offered and other associated ENT presentations. A simple descriptive analysis of the data obtained was carried out. A total of 1153 cases of adult and pediatric emergencies were seen during the period under review; 342 (29.6%) were aural; 508 (44.1%) were nasal and 303 (26.2%) were throat related. Epistaxis constituted 46.5% of the nasal emergencies while foreign bodies in the nose constituted 20.4%, acute