Can we determine recurrent epistaxis by hemogram parameters in children?

Nagehan Erdoğmuş Küçükcan1, Mahmut Alper Kanmaz2

  • 1Adana Çukurova State Hospital, Otorhinolaryngology Department, Adana, Turkey.

Insights

Pediatric epistaxis (nosebleeds) may be linked to specific blood markers. This study found lower plateletcrit (PCT) and higher neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in children with nosebleeds, suggesting their diagnostic potential.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Otolaryngology
  • Hematology

Background:

  • Epistaxis is a frequent cause for pediatric otolaryngology clinic visits.
  • Diagnosis typically relies on clinical examination and laboratory tests.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate simple blood parameters for diagnosing pediatric epistaxis.
  • To assess the predictive value of neutrophil-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), eosinophil-LR (ELR), platelet-LR (PLR), plateletcrit (PCT), mean platelet volume (MPV), and platelet distribution width (PDW).

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 240 pediatric patients (120 epistaxis, 120 healthy controls) from 2018-2020.
  • Comparison of various hemogram parameters and platelet indices between groups.

Main Results:

  • No significant associations found for MPV, PDW, PLR, and ELR.
  • Significant differences observed in PCT and NLR.
  • Children with epistaxis had lower average PCT (p=0.022) and higher average NLR (p=0.004) compared to controls.

Conclusions:

  • PCT has not been previously investigated in relation to epistaxis.
  • This study is the first to suggest a relationship between PCT values and pediatric epistaxis.
  • PCT and NLR may serve as useful diagnostic markers for pediatric epistaxis.
Abstract