Cause son’s nightly nosebleeds?

QMy 10-year-old son has suffered from nosebleeds every night for the last fortnight or so. He doesn’t wake up, there is just a lot of blood on the sheets in the morning.

Could the recent spell of hot weather be to blame?

ANOSEBLEEDS in children are common because blood vessels in the lining of the nose are close to the surface and quite fragile.

Just a small knock to the nose can trigger a bleed and, once this happens, a scab then forms which can easily be dislodged by a sneeze or more often by picking.

As scabs can feel uncomfortable, children often pick at them in bed at night, setting off another bleed.

Sometimes the area around the scab becomes inflamed and sore and applying antibiotic cream, available from your GP, can help.

If the bleeds persist then the fragile vessels in the nose can be cauterised using silver nitrate. In children this is usually done as a hospital procedure but your GP can give more advice on this.

I aM 73 and my wife is 71. We have been married just over 51 years and are both very active, fit and well. Up until about five or six years

for some basic blood tests. It may be that you need treatment for something other than your sexual difficulties.

Sildenafil, which was originally marketed as Viagra, is suitable for most men of all ages and is now widely available on prescription and at your age it will be free of charge.

QI Used to suffer lots of cramp, mainly at night, and I have always used brewer’s yeast tablets to try to prevent it happening. What is your opinion on my remedy?

ABREWER’S yeast contains a fungus that is essential for making beer, hence its name. It is rich in B vitamins, including folic acid (although not vitamin B12) and also selenium and chromium.

These can all be obtained from eating a healthy balanced diet and deficiency in these is rare. I can find no good evidence to prove it is an effective remedy for cramp and have never recommended it.

But having said that, as long as you aren’t taking more than the stated dose then it won’t be doing you any harm and if you feel it helps then I see no reason to stop.

If you have a health question for Dr Rosemary please write to her in confidence at The Northern & Shell Building, 10 Lower Thames Street, London EC3R 6EN or email health@express.co.uk

Dr Rosemary’s reply will appear in this column. She regrets that she cannot enter into personal correspondence and that due to the volume of letters she cannot reply to everyone. Find out more about Dr Rosemary at drrosemaryleonard.co.uk