Prevalence of hypertension in patients with epistaxis

Introduction Epistaxis is a common otolaryngologic emergency. It is so common that almost everyone has had a nosebleed on at least several occasions. Aim: To find out the prevalence of hypertension in patients with epistaxis. Material and Methods: Medical records of 50 patients admitted in the department of ENT and Head and Neck Surgery ward, TU Teaching Hospital with the diagnosis of epistaxis were studied from October 2005 to September 2006. Blood pressure was recorded twice during presentation within an hour and average was taken. In every patient, the same anaeroid sphygmomanometer and stethoscope was used. Patients with history of trauma, bleeding disorder, local pathology, systemic and children less than 15 years were excluded. Blood pressure more or equal to 140/90 mm Hg was considered as hypertension. Data analysis was done statistically using frequency and percentage. Study design: Retrospective study. Results: Out of 50 patients, 60% were male and 40% female. Around 56% were smokers and 46% consume alcohol (ex/current). Eighteen percentages of patients had previous history of hypertension on regular medication. In total, the prevalence of hypertension in epistaxis patient was 50%. Conclusion: There is a high prevalence of hypertension in epistaxis patients. This study indicates that hypertension is one of the risk factors for epistaxis.