Standing for long periods (which increases pooling of blood in the legs).Typically, a patient who has a tendency to syncope experiences a whole combination of factors which creates the ideal environment for syncope. These symptoms may be relieved on occasion by sitting down quickly or lying down and keeping the feet elevated. Patients usually feel unwell at this point with symptoms of lightheadedness, dizziness, queasiness, and may be nauseous and sick, sweaty and clammy, before passing out. This usually causes a slowing of the heart beat, and dilatation and pooling of the blood vessels in the leg, which lowers the blood pressure. Syncope usually occurs when the nervous system that controls the heart rate and blood pressure (the autonomic nervous system) starts to malfunction transiently in response to a trigger. This condition is very common, with 1 in 3 individuals experiencing syncope at some stage in their life. Schedule your appointment with Dr.Vasovagal syncope (pronounced sin-cope-pee) is a term used to describe an episode of fainting due to a low blood pressure, or heart rate, or a combination of both these factors. Your doctor may get an electrocardiogram (ECG), electroencephalogram (EEG), electrolyte levels, blood pressure measurements in different positions (orthostatics), tilt table test, or carotid ultrasound. īe sure to visit a neurologist to have a comprehensive work-up after a fainting spell. gripping fingers into a fist, tensing arms, crossing legs, squeezing thighs together). Prevention techniques can be used, such as laying down with feet elevated when you feel like you are about to faint and using counter-pressure maneuvers (e.g. Treatment is aimed at finding out the underlying cause and avoiding those triggers if possible. Examples include: irregular heart rhythms (too slow, pauses, blocks) and mechanical obstruction (aortic stenosis, enlarged heart, blood clot). Cardiogenic: most concerning type of syncope originating from the heart.Medications for high blood pressure, depression, and psychiatric disorders can also cause this. Examples include: volume depletion (diarrhea, dehydration, bleeding) and dysfunctional autonomic system (Parkinson’s disease, diabetes). Orthostatic: characterized by abrupt drop in blood pressure.Examples include: prolonged standing, emotional stress, blood draw, severe pain, coughing, sneezing, and urination/defecation. Vasovagal: most common type of syncope where the heart beats too slowly and/or blood vessels expand causing less blood flow to the brain.It is estimated to occur in 12% of patients presenting with syncope. This is due to decreased blood flow to the brain resulting in a seizure-like reaction. Ĭonvulsive syncope is characterized by small jerking after fainting with spontaneous and complete recovery. Syncope is very common one out of every three people will experience it in their lifetime. People fall to the ground or slump over in a chair and subsequently regain full consciousness in a short period of time because of the return of blood flow. Syncope is due to a drop in blood pressure and decreased blood flow to the brain. Differentiating between the two may be tricky and has major implications for treatment. Syncope is commonly mistaken for seizures. An abrupt loss of consciousness for a brief amount of time.Usually preceded by symptoms such as dizziness.Syncope is defined as having the following features: How long did it take for you to feel back to normal?.What symptoms did you have immediately preceding the event?.What were you doing immediately before the event?.If possible, make sure to talk with those around you who witnessed the episode to hear what they observed.īefore seeing the doctor, prepare your answers to these questions: This may be difficult because you might not remember all the details due to fainting. The most important part about making the right diagnosis with your doctor is to provide a good history of the incident. Losing consciousness is very scary and may be caused by many different reasons. Syncope is the medical term for fainting or “passing out”.
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