If you do have any of these risk factors, tell your cardiologist promptly about these fainting spells.
A family history of unexplained death at a young age.It’s vital to know whether you have any of these risk factors for it: Sudden cardiac arrest is the most common single cause of death in our country. “The only way to abort this arrhythmia if it sustains is using an automated external defibrillator (AED).” “If left untreated, this arrhythmia is universally fatal,” warns Dr. After four to five seconds, you lose consciousness, stop breathing and have no pulse. In V-Fib, your heart fibrillates (races away in a disorganized fashion). The most dangerous is a heart rhythm disturbance called ventricular tachycardia, or ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib). Of much greater concern is fainting caused by episodes of a slow or fast rate.
Once the dose is adjusted, you should stop passing out. For example, it’s not unusual to take too much blood pressure medicine, which makes your pressure drop too low. People over age 60 are more likely to faint for heart-related reasons than those who are younger. Aziz.Īll these seemingly weird questions can suggest a life-threatening arrhythmia may run in the family. “Your doctor will often ask if anyone in the family experiences or has experienced passing out spells, seizures, sudden unexplained death (like drowning), single car accidents or heart attacks at a young age,” says Dr. They’ll also ask questions about your family members, since family history can help provide deeper clues as to whether or not passing out is harmless (benign) or a bigger problem. Your doctor will test your heart’s electrical system with an electrocardiogram in the office. Typically in a benign fainting spell, someone will have some recall just prior to passing out.īut when someone has no memory of the event whatsoever, it can suggest than an arrhythmia was the culprit. Fainting, when associated with exercise or exertion, shouldn’t be taken lightly, either. While occasional fainting is harmless, if you’re older and have certain risk factors, more than one episode of fainting could signal a dangerous problem with your heart. When vasovagal syncope is occurring, you’ll experience warning signals that include dizziness, headache, nausea, sweating, paleness, feeling warm or hot, and vision and/or hearing changes.Īlthough vasovagal syncope is typically harmless and requires no treatment, your doctor may instruct you to increase your fluid and salt intake, as well as sit or lie flat if these symptoms occur. These swooning signs provide comfort to doctors because often, they suggest the cause of fainting is nothing to worry about. These can include prolonged standing, dehydration, the sight of blood, emotional trauma, stress, having blood drawn, fear of bodily injury, straining - like having a bowel movement - and even hair combing. “It can occur when your body overreacts to certain triggers, with changes in vessel tone and blood pressure, as mediated by the brain.” “It happens as a result of a fascinating chain of reactions in the body,” explains Dr. The most common cause of fainting is what physicians call vasovagal syncope. That’s why patients who suffer fainting spells should be evaluated promptly by a physician. Although rare, fainting can be a precursor of a life-threatening illness, like a heart disorder. It’s not considered a disease itself, but rather it’s a sign or a symptom that can potentially point to an underlying condition. “To put it more simply, fainting can occur when your blood pressure or heart rate drops suddenly.” “Syncope - the medical term for fainting - is defined as a temporary loss of consciousness and muscle control caused by low blood flow to the brain,” says pediatric cardiologist Peter Aziz, MD. It can start with a feeling of dizziness, followed by narrowed vision, muffled sense of hearing - until you wake up somewhere unexpected, like the floor, wondering what happened. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center.
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