Headache, nosebleed for many days, went to the hospital to find out there was a leech in the nose

On October 4, Bac Quang Binh General Hospital said that doctors had just removed a foreign object, a leech about 4 cm long, from a patient's nose.

Previously, on October 3, patient NTS (47 years old, residing in Quang Hop commune, Quang Trach district, Quang Binh) came to the clinic with symptoms of headache and nosebleed for many days.

After examination, the doctor discovered that the patient had a living foreign object inside the right nostril. The doctors performed an endoscopy and removed the foreign object, a leech about 4 cm long.

Information from the patient said that before going to the forest, he drank spring water, when he returned home, he had symptoms of headache and nosebleed.

Dr. Tran Huu Quan, Interdisciplinary Department, Bac Quang Binh General Hospital, said that leeches are living creatures with very strong suction cups, often clinging to animals to suck blood and causing prolonged bleeding. They often crawl into natural cavities such as the ears, nose, and throat to parasitize.

Doctor Quan recommends that people should pay attention to protective measures when going into the forest to avoid leeches from clinging to their bodies. When suspecting that leeches (or leeches) have entered the respiratory tract, common symptoms include a feeling of discomfort in the nostrils, runny nose, stuffy nose, nosebleeds... then you should immediately go to a medical facility for examination and timely treatment.