RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN EPISTAXIS AND HYPERTENSION IN AL-SAMAWA CITY, IRAQ
Keywords:
Epistaxis, hypertension, aspirin use, bleeding severity, anterior epistaxis, Al-Samawa CityAbstract
Epistaxis is a common otorhinolaryngological emergency that may be associated with systemic conditions, particularly hypertension; however, local evidence regarding this relationship in Al-Samawa City remains limited. This descriptive cross-sectional study investigated the association between hypertension and the clinical characteristics of epistaxis among 70 consecutive patients presenting to the ENT outpatient clinic and emergency department of Al-Hussein Teaching Hospital over six months. Data were collected using a structured clinical form and analysed with IBM SPSS Statistics version 26. The participants had a mean age of 38.1 ± 23.3 years, 55.7% were male, and 22.9% were hypertensive. Anterior epistaxis predominated in 88.6% of cases. Hypertension was significantly associated with bleeding severity, with moderate epistaxis occurring in 62.5% of hypertensive patients, while aspirin use was significantly more frequent among hypertensive than normotensive patients. Trauma and aspirin use were the leading identified risk factors. These findings indicate that hypertension and antiplatelet use influence the severity and management requirements of epistaxis, highlighting the importance of blood-pressure assessment and medication review during clinical evaluation.
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