Affiliations 

  • 1 Universiti Teknologi MARA
  • 2 Hospital Sungai Buloh
Malays Fam Physician, 2016;11(23):33-34.
MyJurnal

Abstract

Leech is an uncommon nasal foreign body, which can cause epistaxis. It is an aquatic segmental
worm living in fresh water most commonly in tropical areas. Once it is attached in the nose, it will
secrete an anticoagulant enzyme named hirudin, and that will result in continuous bleeding more
than from a normal wound even after it is removed. We present a case of a live leech in the nose
that caused unilateral epistaxis in a patient with a recent history of jungle trekking.