What is it about ?
Fainting is a sudden, brief, and spontaneous transient loss of consciousness caused by insufficient blood supply to the brain. The medical term used to refer to the phenomenon is “syncope”. The cause may be an underlying condition, such as heart disease, a disease of the nervous system (epilepsy), dehydration, a sudden drop in blood pressure, or a psychiatric disorder. Fainting can also be the result of side effects from medications such as those used to normalize blood pressure and heart rate or to lower blood sugar. In 25% of cases, however, no cause is found. It is then assumed that it is a reflex syncope (in reaction to pain, heat, sight of blood, maintenance for too long in a standing position, …).
What is its frequency?
Between 25 and 50% of the entire adult population will pass out sooner or later in their life.
How to recognize it?
Loss of consciousness is usually preceded by cues a few minutes or seconds before it occurs. Dizziness, clammy sweating, nausea, blurred vision with a narrowing field of vision, and pallor are warning signs of fainting. There is sometimes wheezing, eye revulsion (the eyes ‘roll over’ and only the white remains visible) and muscle twitching, which can be mistaken for a seizure. The person regains consciousness after a few minutes.
How is the diagnosis made?
During the loss of consciousness, the doctor will try to identify a cause. If it is a reflex syncope, the blood pressure is low and the heart rate is slow. Most often, the triggering factor can be determined from the testimony of those present.
A syncope caused by heart disease is much more serious. This occurs, for example, during sports activity and is usually preceded by pain in the chest or heart rhythm disturbances. In such a situation, the heartbeat is too slow, too fast or irregular.
If the cause is neurological, it is often a question of convulsions accompanied by muscle contractions of the limbs, foam in the mouth, urinary incontinence and biting of the tongue.
The doctor will also ask you what medicines you took and when you took them.
In case of repeated fainting and suspicion of an underlying disease, he will refer you to the hospital for further examinations.
What can you do ?
Avoid situations that may cause you to faint. If you get the warning signs of syncope, lie down and raise your legs. If this is not possible, you can perform maneuvers that will raise your blood pressure: cross your legs, contract the muscles of the stomach, legs and buttocks, squat, clench your fists or interlock your fingers and stretch your fingers. hands.
If you regularly fall into syncope, you can practice tilt training daily as a preventive measure. To do this, lean against a wall by positioning your heels on the floor, 30 cm from the wall, and letting your shoulders rest on the wall. Remain in position until symptoms appear, then lie down. If you don’t experience any symptoms, hold this oblique position for 30 minutes. This exercise reduces the number of syncope.
If you suffer from hypotension, observe the following rules. Drink enough, up to 2 liters per day. Coffee and tea slightly increase blood pressure. If you do not have heart disease or high blood pressure, consuming salt may help (broth or salt tablets). Choose light meals. Avoid showers or baths that are too hot, and don’t stand still for too long. If you have no choice, bring a (folding) seat so you can sit down when needed.
What can your doctor do?
Your doctor will mainly start by ruling out an underlying condition. If necessary, they will refer you to a cardiologist for an electrocardiogram (ECG) and stress test, or to a neurologist to check for possible disease of the nervous system. Your doctor will eventually adjust your medications. Usually, your doctor will also order a routine blood test. If you risk sudden loss of consciousness, you will no longer be allowed to drive. The duration of this ban depends on the cause. The specialist will determine if you are fit to drive.