Causes

By Mayo Clinic Staff

The lining of your nose contains many tiny blood vessels that lie close to the surface and are easily irritated.

The two most common causes of nosebleeds are:

  1. Dry air — when your nasal membranes dry out, they're more susceptible to bleeding and infections
  2. Nose picking

Other causes of nosebleeds include:

  1. Acute sinusitis
  2. Allergies
  3. Aspirin use
  4. Bleeding disorders, such as hemophilia
  5. Blood thinners (anticoagulants), such as warfarin and heparin
  6. Chemical irritants, such as ammonia
  7. Chronic sinusitis
  8. Cocaine use
  9. Common cold
  10. Deviated septum
  11. Object in the nose
  12. Nasal sprays, such as those used to treat allergies, if used frequently
  13. Nonallergic rhinitis
  14. Trauma to the nose

Less common causes of nosebleeds include:

  1. Alcohol use
  2. Hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia
  3. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)
  4. Leukemia
  5. Nasal and paranasal tumors
  6. Nasal polyps
  7. Nasal surgery

In general, nosebleeds are not a symptom or result of high blood pressure.

Causes shown here are commonly associated with this symptom. Work with your doctor or other health care professional for an accurate diagnosis.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Sept. 13, 2022

See also

  1. Medication-free hypertension control
  2. Acute lymphocytic leukemia
  3. Acute myelogenous leukemia
  4. Alcohol: Does it affect blood pressure?
  5. Alpha blockers
  6. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
  7. Angiotensin II receptor blockers
  8. Anxiety: A cause of high blood pressure?
  9. Aplastic anemia
  10. Aspergillosis
  11. Beta blockers
  12. Beta blockers: Do they cause weight gain?
  13. Beta blockers: How do they affect exercise?
  14. Blood Cancers and Disorders
  15. Blood pressure: Can it be higher in one arm?
  16. Blood pressure chart
  17. Blood pressure cuff: Does size matter?
  18. Blood pressure: Does it have a daily pattern?
  19. Blood pressure: Is it affected by cold weather?
  20. Blood pressure medication: Still necessary if I lose weight?
  21. Blood pressure medications: Can they raise my triglycerides?
  22. Blood pressure readings: Why higher at home?
  23. Blood pressure tip: Get more potassium
  24. Blood pressure tip: Get off the couch
  25. Blood pressure tip: Know alcohol limits
  26. Blood pressure tip: Stress out no more
  27. Blood pressure tip: Watch the caffeine
  28. Blood pressure tip: Watch your weight
  29. Broken nose
  30. Caffeine and hypertension
  31. Calcium channel blockers
  32. Calcium supplements: Do they interfere with blood pressure drugs?
  33. Can whole-grain foods lower blood pressure?
  34. Central-acting agents
  35. Choosing blood pressure medications
  36. Coarctation of the aorta
  37. Deviated septum
  38. Diuretics
  39. Diuretics: A cause of low potassium?
  40. Do you know your blood pressure?
  41. Essential thrombocythemia
  42. High blood pressure and exercise
  43. Free blood pressure machines: Are they accurate?
  44. Gaucher disease
  45. Home blood pressure monitoring
  46. Granulomatosis with polyangiitis
  47. Hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS)
  48. Hemophilia
  49. High blood pressure (hypertension)
  50. High blood pressure and cold remedies: Which are safe?
  51. High blood pressure and sex
  52. High blood pressure: Can you prevent it?
  53. High blood pressure dangers
  54. What is hypertension? A Mayo Clinic expert explains.
  55. Hypertension FAQs
  56. Hypertensive crisis: What are the symptoms?
  57. Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP)
  58. Isolated systolic hypertension: A health concern?
  59. L-arginine: Does it lower blood pressure?
  60. Medications and supplements that can raise your blood pressure
  61. Menopause and high blood pressure: What's the connection?
  62. Plague
  63. Pulse pressure: An indicator of heart health?
  64. Resperate: Can it help reduce blood pressure?
  65. Sleep deprivation: A cause of high blood pressure?
  66. Stress and high blood pressure
  67. Vasodilators
  68. How to measure blood pressure using a manual monitor
  69. How to measure blood pressure using an automatic monitor
  70. What is blood pressure?
  71. Can a lack of vitamin D cause high blood pressure?
  72. Von Willebrand disease
  73. What's your high blood pressure risk?
  74. White coat hypertension
  75. Wrist blood pressure monitors: Are they accurate?