Does your child seem to have a lot of nosebleeds? Being exposed to dry air or blowing their nose too hard can cause this to happen. But there’s another potential cause to be aware of — juvenile angiofibroma or juvenile nasopharyngeal angiofibroma (JNA). It’s a treatable condition that can help stop these frequent nosebleeds from happening.

What Is Juvenile Angiofibroma?

JNA is a growth filled with blood vessels that develops behind the nose. It’s benign or noncancerous, but it can cause symptoms that affect daily life and well-being. Surgical treatments can remove this growth, though it may come back.

What Symptoms Does It Cause?

JNA may not cause any signs at first. But as the growth gets bigger, it starts affecting airflow in the nasal passages. At this point, symptoms may include:

• Frequent nosebleeds
• Nosebleeds that are hard to stop
• Headaches
• Swelling in the face, especially near the nose
• Changes in hearing
• Changes in vision

What Causes It?

That’s more difficult to understand. No exact underlying cause has been found yet, though researchers believe hormones may be involved, as JNA mainly occurs in boys. It doesn’t appear to be genetic or hereditary.

When to Seek Treatment

Dealing with recurrent nosebleeds and frequent headaches can disrupt your teen’s life. Facial swelling might affect their self-esteem, making them self-conscious about their appearance. Since JNA is a growth that may continue getting larger, it may end up affecting their hearing and/or vision. In severe cases, it can even raise the risk of vision loss due to pressure on the eyes.

If your child is experiencing symptoms of JNA, it’s time to seek a diagnosis and treatment. Note that since this growth can return, it may require treatment again.

How Is It Diagnosed?

When parents suspect their teens may have JNA, an ENT specialist can examine their nose and run imaging tests to check for this growth. If it’s present, it’s generally treated with a minimally invasive surgical procedure.

What Treatments Are Available for Juvenile Angiofibroma?

Surgery and radiation therapy are among the treatment options for JNA. But radiation is only used in more severe or complex cases. Our ENT specialist uses nasal endoscopy for JNA. This procedure involves using a thin tube with a camera to enter the nose and remove the growth.

This minimally invasive surgery helps eliminate the need for incisions, allowing our doctor to go through the nostrils instead. It also offers other benefits, such as:

• Shorter recovery time
• Lower risk of complications
• Improved breathing once the growth is gone

Visit Our ENT Specialist for an Evaluation

Are you concerned that your teen might have JNA? Our board-certified otolaryngologist, Dr. Thomas S. Higgins, can examine your child’s nose to look for growths or other possible causes of frequent nosebleeds. If your child has JNA, we can discuss doing a nasal endoscopy to remove it to ease symptoms and prevent complications.