A STUDY OF THE ASSOCIATION BETWEEN EPISTAXIS AND THE SEVERITY OF HYPERTENSION

Hypertension (HTN) has frequently been cited as a general risk factor for epistaxis. However; studies dealing with this association have yie lded equivocal results. In this study, a sample of 121 hypertensives ( blood pressure greater than or equal to 140/90 mmHg) was selected to e valuate the association between the severity of HTN and a previous his tory of epistaxis. Patients with an average blood pressure greater tha n or equal to 160/100 mmHg were classified as suffering from a more se vere form of HTN and were compared with those with a less severe form of the disease (160/100 mm Hg less than or equal to blood pressure gre ater than or equal to 140/90 mm Hg). The frequency of epistaxis did no t differ among patients categorized by the severity of HTN. Users of a spirin were found to be twice as likely to have a history of epistaxis . In addition, there was a statistical tendency for an association bet ween a history of epistaxis and the duration of hypertension. We concl ude that the severity of HTN and a history of epistaxis were not assoc iated in a cohort of hypertensive patients. The identification of othe r risk factors for epistaxis, including the duration of HTN, deserves further study.