Loss of consciousness is a symptom of what disease. What causes a person to lose consciousness and faint? How to prevent fainting? Abuse of sweets and simple carbohydrates

Sudden loss of consciousness (from the Greek word “syncopation”, which means cutting off) - alarming symptom, which should not be ignored, because it may indicate serious illnesses or general loss of strength. A sharp deterioration in health, darkening of the eyes, and vomiting are clear signals from the body that requires help.

The main cause of dizziness and loss of consciousness is an acute lack of oxygen in the cerebral cortex, caused by reduced blood flow. The following factors can lead to this phenomenon:

Hypotension. Hypotonic patients often complain of drowsiness, loss of concentration, and memory difficulties. And there is a direct connection between low blood pressure and dizziness. Dysregulation of cardio-vascular system cause headaches and loss of consciousness.

Hypertension. High blood pressure can also provoke acute malaise up to the development of a hypertensive crisis. A number of neurovascular disorders lead to increased blood pressure - the cause of loss of consciousness in hypertensive patients.

Diabetes. With either a lack or excess of insulin in the blood, people suffering from diabetes may lose consciousness.

Lactic coma .

They also affect age characteristics body:

Loss of consciousness is almost always preceded by a period of so-called precursors. People who periodically experience such discomfort are able to accurately recognize the signs of lightheadedness:

• Nausea. which arises abruptly or gradually and occurs in “roll-ups”.
• Compulsive yawning. as a symptom oxygen starvation brain
• Trembling hands and feet .
• Flickering of flies before the eyes. Everyone describes them in their own way - sometimes they appear in the form of yellow ripples, in other cases, visual impairment is expressed in cloudiness or veils before the eyes.
• Slowness of reactions. If a person is not alone and is communicating with someone at the time of illness, his interlocutor may notice some sluggishness in speech and a gaze resting on one point. The patient does not respond to questions, or answers with a long delay.
• Tinnitus. This symptom manifests itself progressively, starting with a small noise and completely drowning out surrounding sounds before turning off consciousness.
• Headache. getting stronger every minute and concentrated in the back of the head. There is also a feeling of heaviness in this part of the head.
• Excessive sweating .
• Pale skin. The skin of the face becomes ashen-gray.

During fainting, the body is motionless, all muscles are relaxed. It can even cause you to urinate when you lose consciousness. The pulse is superficial, rare and difficult to palpate. This condition can last from 3 to 5 minutes.

Afterwards, the person gradually comes to his senses, but feels completely overwhelmed. The fainting itself and the last seconds preceding it are usually not stored in memory.

First aid

If a person’s behavior indicates an approaching attack, the following actions must be taken:

• Sit or lay the person down so that his head is down. For example, lower your head between your knees, or lay the victim on his back and raise his legs up. This will help restore blood circulation;
• Unfasten the button at the neck, free the neck from the scarf, and remove all tight clothing;
• Provide influx fresh air. If a person becomes ill in public transport- open the window, ask the driver to stop, take the victim outside.
• Spray your face cool water and give a cotton swab soaked in ammonia to smell.
• If the victim’s eyes are open at the time of loss of consciousness, they should be closed to avoid drying out of the cornea.

If these measures are followed, the person will feel improvement and regain consciousness within a few minutes. But if they do not bring results, you need to move on to more serious actions.

• Provide the victim with a safe and comfortable position.
• Test your tongue by gently opening your jaws. If it ignites during an attack, it can cause suffocation for the victim. If necessary, return the tongue to its normal position.
• Check to see if the person was injured in the fall.
• Turn the victim onto his side.
• Check your pupils' reaction to light; they should constrict when exposed to light.
• Count your pulse and check your breathing pattern.
• If there is no pulse or breathing, it is necessary to begin resuscitation measures- cardiac massage and artificial respiration.
• If a person does not come to consciousness for more than 5 minutes, it is necessary to call ambulance.

Temporary illness is not always life-threatening, but frequent losses consciousness there are always reasons and sometimes quite serious ones. They may be caused by processes occurring in the body pathological processes and demand mandatory consultation, and perhaps further treatment from a cardiologist, neurologist and therapist.

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Loss of consciousness

Loss of consciousness- a condition during which a person is immobilized and not susceptible to external stimuli. During this period, disruptions occur in the work of the central nervous system. Let's consider the causes of loss of consciousness, symptoms of the condition and measures to help with fainting.

Causes of loss of consciousness

All causes of loss of consciousness are associated with damage to brain cells to one degree or another. Fainting can be caused by:

• circulatory disorders as a result of certain diseases (atherosclerosis, thrombosis, etc.) and conditions (ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke);
• oxygen deprivation resulting from blood loss as a result of physical injury or bleeding developed due to illness;
• oxygen deficiency in cardiovascular and pulmonary pathologies;
• anemia with a significant decrease in hemoglobin levels;
• malnutrition of the brain in diabetes mellitus and general exhaustion;
• epileptic syndrome;
• traumatic brain injuries;
• anaphylactic shock. occurred as a result of an allergic reaction;
• toxic shock in severe infectious diseases;
• traumatic shock due to severe pain, freezing, heat stroke;
• carbon monoxide poisoning due to improper operation of stoves, gas appliances, and car engines;
• Orthostatic syncope is caused by a sudden change in body position with low blood pressure.

Sometimes the cause of sudden loss of consciousness is increased reactivity to psychological situations, such as fear, excitement, etc.

Symptoms of loss of consciousness

Clinical manifestations of loss of consciousness depend on the cause that caused this state.

A short-term loss of consciousness (fainting) occurs due to a temporary disruption of blood flow in the brain. In this case, loss of consciousness occurs for a few seconds. Preceding fainting:

• feeling of nausea;
• "floaters" in the eyes;
• tinnitus;
• perspiration;
• general weakness.

After which a loss of consciousness occurs, characterized by:

• increased or slow heart rate;
• decrease in pressure;
• pale skin;
• weakening of heart sounds;
• dilation of the pupils and a decrease in their reaction to light.

With deep fainting, convulsions and involuntary urination may develop.

An epileptic attack is accompanied by sharp involuntary twitching of the body, intense salivation, and sometimes screaming.

Prolonged loss of consciousness can take hours, days, and entails serious and sometimes irreversible consequences for the body. In medicine, persistent loss of consciousness is called “coma.”

First aid for loss of consciousness

Whatever the cause of loss of consciousness, it is necessary to call a doctor who will determine how dangerous the unconscious state is for a person.

Until the ambulance arrived:

If fainting occurs, you must undergo comprehensive examination in order to identify a disease that entails obvious disturbances in the functioning of the body.

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Why does a person faint and what is this condition? The brain is unable to function normally without a constant flow of blood and nutrients. A sudden disruption of this process causes severe oxygen starvation of brain tissue. The result is momentary loss consciousness - it usually lasts a few seconds. The repetition of these cases indicates cardiac and neurological problems in the body, and the causes of fainting are varied. There is no need to delay their diagnosis. Not only fainting, but also pre-fainting conditions should alert you and lead you to a qualified specialist.

Symptoms of loss of consciousness

Fainting and loss of consciousness - what's the difference? There is no difference, since fainting is a loss of consciousness for a short time(usually up to 1 minute). The main precursor can be called a pre-fainting state. And speaking about the symptoms of loss of consciousness, most often they mean the symptoms of a pre-fainting state:

• a feeling of lightheadedness and nausea sets in;
• the heart begins to beat quickly;
• circles and “spots” appear before the eyes;
• vision loses clarity;
• a strong pounding appears in the temples;
• cold sweat is produced profusely;
• there is a feeling of imminent fall.

It is at this moment that you need to take action emergency measures to prevent loss of consciousness. Timely provision of first aid is also extremely important.

However, fainting can occur quite suddenly, without this “warning”. Its symptoms cannot go unnoticed by others:

• a person suddenly loses his balance and falls in a “sheaf”;
• loss of consciousness occurs;
• the skin becomes pale;
• Limbs may twitch and urine may leak involuntarily.

Having regained consciousness, the person feels overwhelmed and experiences severe drowsiness.

Causes of fainting

There are many reasons why people faint, and almost all of them are associated with a sharp decrease in the intensity of blood flow in the brain. Among the most common causes of loss of consciousness are disorders of the nervous system (50% of all cases) and heart pathologies (25%). Also, immediately before unconsciousness may:

• vascular function is impaired due to a pre-stroke condition, atherosclerosis;
• increased pressure in the vessels of the skull due to hydrocephalus, tumor, hemorrhage;
• the amount of sugar and oxygen in the body decreases, which occurs with kidney pathologies, hypoglycemia, anemia;
• decreased circulating blood volume due to bleeding.

Causes of frequent fainting

IN separate group identify the causes of frequent fainting. They are usually associated with various mental disorders which manifest themselves periodically, for example, as hysterical neurosis. A sudden disruption in blood flow can occur with epilepsy. Often first aid for fainting is necessary for people with low blood pressure and diabetes. A drop in vascular tone can cause fatigue, neurosis, and even a simple transition from a sitting state to a standing state and vice versa.

There are also specific causes in women and men that lead to short-term loss of consciousness.

Causes of fainting in men

• Alcohol poisoning.
• Tight collar of a business suit.
• Excessively intense physical training.
• Night urination in older men.

Causes of fainting in women

• Internal bleeding due to gynecological diseases.
• Various pregnancy disorders.
• Too strict diet.
• An overly powerful surge of emotions.

First aid for fainting

If a person faints, there is a high probability of serious bruise or even injury. If you yourself feel faint, you need to take a safe position if possible, it is best to lie down with your head lower.

What to do if a person faints in your presence? Try to catch it in time - this will protect you from possible injuries.

First aid for fainting:

• position the patient in such a way as to improve blood supply to the head - raise your legs and try to lower your head a little lower than your body;
• loosen the patient's collar, open the window in the room for air access;
• Sprinkle water on your face, apply ammonia to your nostrils;
• the patient has come to his senses - offer him something sweet;
• If possible, give an intravenous injection of glucose - this will improve blood circulation.

If help for loss of consciousness is provided in a timely manner, the person will feel better within a few minutes.

Types of fainting

In medicine, there are three main types of fainting.

At neurogenic There is a temporary disorder of cardiovascular reflexes that control blood dynamics in the body. This type is varied:

• vasodepressor – consequences of excessively strong emotions, stress, fear, they occur most often;
• orthostatic are caused by a sharp transfer of the body from a lying position to an upright one;
• fainting due to tight collars explained by too high sensitivity of the carotid sinus;
• loss of consciousness in older men when urinating at night, coughing, or defecating is a consequence of a sharp increase in intrathoracic pressure.

If a patient has irregularities in the heart rhythm, there are problems with the conductivity of cardiac tissue, and myocardial infarction is diagnosed, then they talk about cardiogenic loss of consciousness.

If, due to sudden fear, panic, or anxiety, a person’s breathing unconsciously quickens and deepens, causing loss of consciousness, such fainting is classified as hyperventilation.

In addition, there are classifications that distinguish:

• maladaptive form - when fainting is caused by adaptation to external conditions (a person overheats, etc.);
• anemic – when the volume of hemoglobin and red blood cells drops sharply, and what remains is not enough to fully supply the brain with oxygen;
• hypoglycemic – when glucose levels in the body drop;
• extreme forms – when the body is exposed to extreme conditions: high mountain air, burns, intoxication harmful substances, medications.

Diseases that cause fainting

Patients with arrhythmia may experience fainting because the blood supply to the brain is sharply reduced. With bradycardia, symptoms of loss of consciousness are also observed. The reasons are a sharp, almost instantaneous drop in heart rate to 30 or even 20 beats per second when the norm is 65-72.

• In addition, patients may need help with fainting:
• pulmonary hypertension;
• dehydration;
• Parkinson's disease;
• with aortic stenosis;
• diabetes mellitus

Which doctor will help?

First aid for loss of consciousness can be provided by an ambulance team, especially if an injury occurred due to a fall. If such conditions recur, you should contact a cardiologist. Depending on the diagnostic results, the patient may also be referred to a neurologist or gastroenterologist.

Diagnostics

The initial examination consists of listening to the patient’s complaints about the frequency and duration of fainting states, and determining the conditions under which loss of consciousness occurs. A neurological examination is performed.

The patient must be sent for laboratory blood tests.

Among instrumental studies most effective:

• various types of ECG;
• echocardiography;
• computer sphygmomanometry;
• cardiac rhythmography;
• 24-hour blood pressure monitoring;
• duplex scanning of blood vessels.

These are the most modern diagnostic methods, which reveal objective reason fainting conditions and allow you to prescribe optimal treatment.

Prevention

Knowing what to do if you faint, you also need to take preventive measures:

• eat rationally (it is better to consult your doctor about your individual diet);
• Moderate physical activity must be present;
• walk at least 2 hours a day;
• Women during pregnancy should regularly visit a gynecologist;
• eliminate extreme loads and overheating;
• Among medications, the doctor may prescribe nootropics, venotonics, adaptogens, and vitamins.

Diagnostics and treatment at the Center for Pathology of the Circulatory Organs

At the CBCP clinic you have modern European diagnostic equipment, advanced research methods and highly qualified doctors at your service.

Even if you have experienced a fainting state once, this is already a reason to see a doctor. And repeated fainting is a mandatory reason to visit a cardiologist and conduct professional diagnostics. Timely detection of cardiac pathology is far from a death sentence. CBCP will be selected at the cardiology clinic individual program treatment, and your body will return to tone.

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The most common cause of sudden transient loss of consciousness is “postural syncope” or simple fainting. This diagnosis can be made only if loss of consciousness occurred with the body in a vertical position and consciousness was restored after a few seconds with a horizontal position, and also if the reasons predisposing to fainting have been established. These reasons include: standing up suddenly or standing for a long time, especially in the heat; factors that activate vasovagal reflexes are pain, fear, emotional shock, urination, defecation, coughing, pressure in the carotid sinus. In addition, postural syncope may be caused by taking antihypertensive drugs, autonomic neuropathy (for example, in diabetes). General mechanism the development of such conditions is a transient decrease in blood supply to the brain as a result of loss of vasomotor tone in the underlying parts of the body, i.e. in the legs and organs abdominal cavity; in addition, bradycardia may develop. In cases of syncope associated with urination, defecation and coughing, an additional factor is increased intrathoracic pressure, which reduces venous flow and cardiac output. If fainting occurs after a separate cough impulse, one should remember the possibility of an epileptic seizure induced by coughing.
Signs of simple fainting include feelings of weakness, nausea, sometimes darkening of the eyes before fainting, sweating, pallor, weak slow pulse and hypotension. Fast and full recovery consciousness in a horizontal position of the body confirms the diagnosis of fainting. Instant convulsive movements and even urinary incontinence can occur with deep fainting, but in all similar cases Epilepsy should be completely ruled out first.
WITH simple fainting loss of consciousness may be confused with blood loss if internal bleeding(for example, gastrointestinal or retroperitoneal) is not accompanied by distension, pain or bleeding. In this case, when the patient is laid down, consciousness is often also restored, but nausea, pallor, sweating, and hypotension persist, shortness of breath is often noted, and instead of bradycardia, tachycardia is usually observed.
Similar clinical picture observed in painless forms of acute vascular accidents: myocardial infarction or embolism pulmonary artery. In these cases, loss of consciousness can also be short-term and sudden, the pulse can be frequent or rare, however, when the patient is in a horizontal position, symptoms of circulatory failure persist: hypotension, shortness of breath, cyanosis, rhythm disturbances, swelling of the jugular veins, gallop rhythm, wheezing in lower sections lungs.
With the above pathological conditions sudden and short-term loss of consciousness most often occurs only in an upright position: standing or sitting. If such attacks occur in bed or after the patient falls to the ground, one of three types of disorders should be suspected: disorders heart rate, cerebrovascular accident and epilepsy. In particular, in elderly patients, a sudden short-term loss of consciousness can be the result of a rhythm disturbance - asystole of the type of complete transverse block (Adam-Stokes attacks). These attacks may have no warning signs other than a momentary feeling of weakness and heart failure. Since heart rhythm disturbances can disappear very quickly, when examining a patient who has fainted, you should first feel the pulse.
Second important reason Short-term sudden loss of consciousness in the elderly may be due to narrowing or occlusion of the arteries supplying the brain. There are three possible pathogenetic mechanism of these disorders: “spasm”, embolism by a small, rapidly disintegrating thrombus, the effect of pre-existing stenosis of large vessels supplying the brain. Spasm seems to be a rather dubious cause of cerebrovascular accident, perhaps excluding cases of hypertensive crisis or migraine. If you have spinal stenosis or carotid arteries The cause of short-term loss of consciousness may be small emboli emanating from the stenotic area, or any factors that reduce systemic blood pressure, which leads to a critical decrease in blood flow through the narrowed vessel. Fainting caused by these causes can be distinguished from simple postural syncope by the presence of focal cerebral symptoms. In case of circulatory disorders in the carotid artery system, loss of vision on the side of the vascular lesion (“transient amaurosis”) or hemiparesis on the opposite side is usually observed. Circulatory disorders in the vertebrobasilar system are characterized by dizziness, imbalance, hemianopsia, and diplopia.
There are two more syndromes in which the cause of loss of consciousness is insufficiency of the vertebrobasilar circulation: “Sistine Chapel syndrome” and “subclavian steal syndrome.” In the first of them, fainting occurs against the background of hyperextension of the neck, when blood flow through the atheromatically changed vertebral arteries decreases. In his classic form This syndrome occurs in elderly tourists in Rome when they view Michelangelo's frescoes on the dome of the Sistine Chapel. When the subclavian artery is stenotic proximal to the origin of the vertebral artery, blood flow in the vertebral artery may become retrograde, providing blood supply to the arm (steal syndrome). This syndrome is characterized by a sudden short-term loss of consciousness, sometimes in combination with other symptoms of vertebrobasilar insufficiency, most often occurring during vigorous work of the affected person. upper limb. Finally, instant loss consciousness as a result of narrowing of the vessels supplying the brain, occurs with aortic stenosis. This loss of consciousness is usually observed when physical activity, it may be preceded by anginal pain.
When considering the causes of sudden loss of consciousness, especially in children, one should always remember the possibility of “minor” seizures of epilepsy. These seizures can be distinguished from other forms of short-term loss of consciousness by the lack of connection with body position and the ultra-short, instantaneous duration of the seizure. "Small" epileptic seizure it can be so short that the patient maintains an upright position and does not have time to realize that something unusual has happened to him; he can only drop what he was holding in his hand during the seizure. In some patients, especially with temporal lobe epilepsy, may experience sensory hallucinations or a sensation of “deja vu,” and may experience momentary movements of facial muscles, eyes, or limbs during a seizure. These movements can be either convulsive or voluntary.
The table lists information that should be obtained from a witness who observed sudden loss consciousness.

Fainting- This is a short-term loss of consciousness, while consciousness is restored spontaneously. Temporary loss of consciousness or fainting, according to various sources, occurs in 3% of patients who seek emergency medical help.

Fainting is the result of a temporary reduction in blood flow (and oxygen supply) to the brain, which may manifest as confusion, blackout, or loss of consciousness.

Fainting can last from a few seconds to several minutes. Usually a person comes to his senses after a while. Fainting in itself is not a disease, but a symptom.

Causes of fainting

There are many known factors that can temporarily reduce blood flow to the brain. Temporary loss of consciousness may be associated with heart disease and other conditions. More often, temporary loss of consciousness is caused by factors that directly not connected to the heart.

These factors include:

• dehydration;
• medications that affect blood pressure;
• vascular diseases of the legs in the elderly;
• diabetes;
• Parkinson's disease.

In addition, fainting is possible when changing body position- from a lying or sitting position, a sharp transition to a vertical position (postural hypotension);

Decreased total blood volume and/or bad condition leg vessels leads to a disproportionate distribution of blood in the legs and insufficient blood supply to the brain when a person assumes a standing position.

Other non-cardiac causes of temporary loss of consciousness include loss of consciousness after blood drains, or after certain situational events ( situational fainting) such as urination, defecation, or coughing. This occurs due to a reflex of the nervous system (vasovagal response), which causes the heart rate to slow and dilate. blood vessels in the legs, thus reducing blood pressure.

The result is that less blood (and therefore less oxygen) reaches the brain as it is directed to the legs. With situational fainting, patients often note nausea, sweating, and weakness that occur before loss of consciousness.

Vasovagal reaction is also called vasovagal crisis, and situational syncope is also called vasovagal syncope, vasodepressor syncope. Cerebral hemorrhage - stroke or pre-stroke (transient ischemic attack) and migraines can also lead to temporary loss of consciousness.

Factors related to heart function that may lead to temporary loss of consciousness include:

Profound fainting may be a symptom of the following diseases:

Symptoms of fainting

When you faint, consciousness may suddenly turn off. But sometimes it is preceded fainting state, characterized by the following features:

• severe weakness;
• dizziness;
• tinnitus;
• a feeling of “emptiness” in the head;
• numbness of the limbs;
• darkening of the eyes;
• yawning;
• nausea;
• pale face;
• sweating

Fainting conditions most often occur in a standing position, much less often in a sitting position, and when the patient goes into supine position, as a rule, pass.

When fainting, in addition to a short-term loss of consciousness, a number of symptoms are observed vegetative-vascular disorders:

• paleness of the face;
• cold extremities;
• the skin becomes covered with sweat;
• slow pulse;
• blood pressure is low;
• breathing is rare, shallow;
• the pupils are sometimes dilated and sometimes constricted, reacting quickly to light;
• tendon reflexes are normal.

Fainting usually lasts from a few seconds to one minute, rarely up to 2-5 minutes due to longer and deeper anemia of the brain, more often with heart disease or disturbances in homeostasis. Prolonged fainting may be accompanied by convulsive twitching of the muscles of the face and limbs, increased salivation.

After recovering from a fainting state, some patients (mainly with a longer loss of consciousness) experience a so-called post-fainting state for several hours, which is manifested by weakness, headache, and increased sweating.

In persons prone to fainting, these phenomena under the influence of the above reasons may occur again. During the period between paroxysms, patients experience various disorders (asthenodepressive manifestations, predominance autonomic reactions etc.).

Diagnosis after fainting

The cause of temporary loss of consciousness can only be diagnosed after a detailed examination of individual factors (before, during and after syncope), evaluation of medications and consideration of underlying medical conditions. It should be noted that many of the causes of temporary loss of consciousness can be detected only through a thorough examination.

Dizziness after standing in older people indicates postural hypotension.

Temporary loss of consciousness after urination, defecation, or coughing indicates situational syncope.

Causes related to the heart causing temporary loss of consciousness, such as aortic stenosis or cardiomyopathy, are assumed to occur before loss of consciousness.

Signs of weakness in certain areas of the body, with temporary loss of consciousness, suggest a stroke. Blood pressure and pulse are assessed in the supine, sitting and standing positions. Different pressures in each arm may be a sign of aortic dissection.

The heart is examined with a stethoscope, sounds that may indicate valve pathology are listened to. Studying the nervous system, sensations, reflexes and motor functions can identify disorders of the nervous system and brain.

An ECG can detect abnormal heart rhythms. Depending on the presence or absence of accompanying symptoms, people with certain forms of temporary loss of consciousness may be admitted to the hospital for observation and further evaluation.

Other tests to evaluate temporary loss of consciousness due to a cardiac cause include:

• echocardiography;
• heart rate control (monitoring);
• electrophysiological studies of the heart.

When cardiac factors are not suspected, a test may be performed to identify the cause of temporary loss of consciousness. examination of the patient in the supine position with additional tilt. This type of examination involves placing the patient on a table with leg support. The table is raised up and blood pressure and pulse are measured, i.e. recorded possible reasons in various positions.

Treatment of fainting

Treatment for a patient with temporary loss of consciousness depends on the cause of the incident. For many non-cardiac causes of temporary loss of consciousness (such as postural hypotension, vasovagal reaction and situational syncope) no special treatment is required, and consciousness will return when the victim simply sits or lies down.

After this, people are advised to avoid situations that cause this condition. For example, not straining, standing up abruptly, sitting or lying in bed when coughing, using these measures can help prevent situational fainting.

Causes related to the heart and nervous system are considered according to specific disease . Elderly people are advised to carry all medications prescribed by their doctor with them, and also to exercise caution when changing positions that they have been in for a long time. Raising your body slowly allows you to adjust to the new position, which minimizes the chance of fainting. In addition, elderly patients should avoid dehydration.

Which doctors should you contact if you faint?

First aid for fainting

In a pre-fainting state, a person sharp turns pale, weakens, his pupils dilate and he slowly slides to the ground. If this is noticed in time, then fainting can be prevented; for this it is necessary for the person to sit on a chair and lower his head below his knees, as if tying his shoelaces (this way we will cause blood flow to the head and eliminate the very cause of fainting).

If fainting does occur, then the following must be done:

In most cases, these measures are quite sufficient for a person to came to my senses.

But if this does not happen, then resuscitation efforts must be continued. It is necessary to “turn on” the victim’s brain. But how? Where is the “turn on” button?

If explained with medical point vision, then to “turn on” it is necessary to initiate the formation in the brain dominant focus of excitation, that is, to give the brain some signal from the outside world so that it reacts, reflexively launches some center, and with it the whole “system” starts up. What needs to be done for this? Any strong irritant will do.

I think everyone knows it from childhood, and it often appears in films - it is necessary give ammonia a sniff, also known as an ammonia solution (a very unpleasant specific smell that almost immediately wakes a person up), sprinkle water on the face, or lightly pat the cheeks (kind of like light slaps in the face, but don’t overdo it).

Immediately after fainting, you should not try to lift the person - the blood supply has not yet been fully restored and the fainting may recur. It is better to gradually bring him to his senses, talk about something and, as far as possible, control the person’s condition.

If all of the above did not help, then call an ambulance, because prolonged brain hypoxia (lack of oxygen) causes irreversible changes, even death.

Questions and answers on the topic "Fainting"

Question:Good afternoon I am 72, the loss of consciousness began in grades 5-7, then for a long time there were no attacks, or their frequency was insignificant. But literally in July-August there were three days in a row and 3-5 times a day. At the same time, the pressure is 140-94. Wherever I consulted, the ECG is normal with minor deviations, which, as I was told, do not affect the loss of consciousness. Speak healthy. So what could be the reasons and what can be done. Thank you and I look forward to your answer.

Answer: You need an in-person consultation with a neurologist.

Question:Hello. Girl, 31 years old. Didn't give birth. A month ago I flew to Sochi, on the fourth day after arrival I took the cat to the veterinary clinic to trim its claws, the cat meowed a lot because it was in pain. I was holding her and suddenly I felt suddenly dizzy, for about 2 seconds I fainted. According to the stories of those present, I suddenly turned pale, said that I felt bad (I remember this), turned blue, fell, they couldn’t unclench my jaw, urination occurred, they couldn’t bring me to my senses, then they pressed hard on my eyes, I woke up, they immediately began to lift me up and water, vomited. After that I came home exhausted. And after that, for a week, I had a headache, then I felt dizzy, and now spots appeared before my eyes. I did an EEG, an MRI of the brain, an ECG, an ultrasound of everything - they found nothing. Only anemia. They prescribed iron. 7 years ago they installed VSD with panic attacks, in I didn’t faint then. I was treated for a year and after that there were almost no symptoms, sometimes anxiety creeps up, but I calmly dealt with it. IN recent months I have lost a lot of weight, I weigh 48 kg with a height of 168 cm. A week before, I was very nervous, ate poorly, had general weakness, did not get enough sleep even if I slept for a long time, there was a feeling of tightness in my chest, in Sochi 5 days before the events I drank heavily (although in general I don’t drink often), on the day itself in the morning only drank coffee and smoked a cigarette. There is no history of epilepsy in the family. Which possible options what happened?

Answer: Dizziness is one of the symptoms of anemia.

Question:My adult son, 33 years old, began to lose consciousness very often, there was a lot of stress in the family, I have a wife but no sex, and with my son, attacks are repeated several times a day.

Answer: There can be many reasons; an in-person consultation with a neurologist is necessary for examination.

Question:Hello. My husband had surgery. The left lung was removed and recurrent nerve. Could this be the cause of short-term fainting?

Answer: Hello! Yes, it is possible after lung removal. Everything must be done rehabilitation measures recommended by your attending physician.

Question:Hello, my 7-year-old daughter hit her elbow and after walking a little she fainted, luckily she fell on the bed. Could this fainting be a consequence of the blow?

Answer: Hello! Most likely low threshold pain sensitivity, so there was mild degree painful shock, leading to a short-term loss of consciousness.

Question:Hello! My daughter is 7 years old, and from the age of 4 she faints at the sight of blood, turns white, and when brought to her senses she also begins to become a coward. It doesn’t matter whether it’s her blood or not, if she’s scratched, she’ll faint. We go to get tested - they already know us there without ammonia and they don’t greet us. Tell me what is this? Why is this happening?

Answer: Hello! This phobia is not uncommon, it exists in 3-4% of people on our planet, it occurs as a result of the vasovagal reaction of the parasympathetic nervous system (this theory belongs to John Sanford), reflexively at the sight of danger (blood), the person “plays dead”, then there is losing consciousness. You can fight this; you need to see a psychologist.

Question:I am 30 years old. Since childhood, she suffered from VSD of the hypotonic type and was weather dependent. Over the past 5 years, symptoms have decreased significantly. However, for Last year There have already been 3 strange fainting spells. I go to bed absolutely healthy, I get out of bed the same way, but 2-3 minutes after getting out of bed I have a sudden deep fainting spell (I fall to my full height), it’s hard for me to come to my senses. For half an hour after that, I still have trouble thinking clearly. What could be the reason for this and how to prevent the situation from happening again.

Answer: These are orthostatic fainting (from standing up abruptly). Sit down first.

Question:Hello. I am 17 years old. Fainting began in early autumn last year. Before that there were short-term opacities in the eyes and was shaking a little. Usually, fainting begins when there is unbearable stuffiness outside, or in a poorly ventilated room, or in public transport. Please help me with advice on which doctor is best to see.

Answer: Hello! You need to see a neurologist. You may need a comprehensive examination: EEG, ultrasound of the vessels of the head and neck, fundus examination, consultation with an endocrinologist, blood tests.

Question:Hello, I'm 21 years old. Yesterday I was going to meet friends and got caught in heavy rain. I ran home. When I stopped, my vision darkened and I was short of breath. Weakness appeared. I stopped seeing. I sat down on the side of the road. When I tried to continue moving, I fainted. I don’t remember anything for 2-3 minutes. I continued moving slowly. My vision also periodically grew dark. All the muscles were very relaxed, the legs did not obey, palpitations, shortness of breath. The first fainting spell. Should I see a doctor? What could it be? How dangerous?

Answer: Good afternoon. This is a manifestation of VSD. The pressure drops sharply and the vision becomes dark. See a neurologist.

Question:Hello! My daughter (13 years old) has fainting spells, frequent dizziness and headaches. What kind of examination is necessary?

Answer: Hello! Frequent fainting is a syncope, I recommend that you do an EEG and consult a neurologist/epileptologist.

Question:Hello, I'm 26 years old. After giving birth (a year ago), I began to faint, 3 times in a year. Took an x-ray cervical region vertebra, as a result of which a diagnosis was made: spinal osteochondrosis. According to the results of an ultrasound scan of the brain: Signs of vasospasm in the MCA, right and left. Right and left vertebral artery small diameter. There is sufficient blood flow in the vertebrobasilar basin. Hemodynamic significant obstacles no blood flow was detected in the BCA. Do I need to carry out any other examinations or do x-rays and ultrasounds explain everything how to treat this?

Answer: Hello! With the results of ultrasound and x-ray, you need to contact a neurologist to determine treatment tactics.

Question:Once every 1.5 years, the adult daughter began to lose consciousness. First time at 19 years old. Everything was examined. Tomograph of the head, neck, blood vessels. There is cervical chondrosis of 4-5 vertebrae. Slight vasoconstriction. One day my cholesterol was elevated. Sometimes with a headache the pressure is 130-80, the working pressure is 110-70. We went from doctor to doctor and couldn’t find anything. It all starts again - at first a long headache, nausea, darkening of the eyes and fainting. And after fainting, all symptoms disappear. It was as if nothing hurt. There are no cramps or foam. The neurologist prescribed Supradin and Mexidol, 1 tablet 3 times a day for 3 months. What then? Who should I go to for the correct treatment and diagnosis?

Answer: Go to a neurologist with preliminary diagnosis- migraine and carry out normal treatment. And cholesterol has nothing to do with it.

Question:Hello! I am 24 years old. Starting at the age of 16, I began to lose consciousness due to pain in the stomach (the pain is terrible), this happens every time I eat something fatty, and 8 hours after eating this food, usually at night (I wake up from pain, go to the toilet and fall into fainting). This happens approximately every 3 months, sometimes more often. After fainting, vomiting and profuse loose stool. Then I don’t go to the toilet at all for a week. I went to the doctor, but nothing was found (6 years ago I had 2 stomach ulcers, but they had healed long ago), only ordinary gastritis. The gastric mucosa is normal. They only prescribe the usual antispasmodic drugs, but they don’t help, I still lose consciousness. What could be my problem and is it possible to somehow cure it (otherwise I’m tired of falling, I’ve already broken my nose and it’s generally painful)?

Answer: Your symptoms are very unusual, it is advisable to carry out the examination in a hospital, since it is possible that there are not only problems with the gastrointestinal tract. But you also need to exclude so-called neuroendocrine diseases of the gastrointestinal tract. In general, I recommend going for an examination at diagnostic center without waiting for the next attack.

Sudden loss of consciousness (from the Greek word “syncopation”, which means cutting off) is an alarming symptom that should not be ignored, because it may indicate serious illness or a general loss of strength. A sharp deterioration in health, darkening of the eyes, and vomiting are clear signals from the body that requires help.

Causes

The main cause of dizziness and loss of consciousness is an acute lack of oxygen in the cerebral cortex, caused by reduced blood flow. The following factors can lead to this phenomenon:

• Neurogenic causes. Vasodepressor syncope is the most common; it causes loss of consciousness during exercise or when standing for a long time in a stuffy room. This group also includes short-term orthostatic syncope, a familiar ailment to most people that occurs when standing up or changing body position.
• Stress or pain from injury can lead to a decrease in the number of heartbeats, which causes a decrease in blood flow to the heart. This is another common cause of loss of consciousness in men and women.
• Cardiovascular problems. This includes the so-called cardiogenic syncope resulting from cardiac arrhythmias or myocardial infarction. Atherosclerosis also leads to fainting due to pathological changes in the body of large vessels that supply the brain. The patency of arteries and veins worsens, the lumens become smaller, and normal blood circulation is disrupted.
• Blood clots, partially blocking the vessels. They affect blood flow in the body and occur against the background of previous surgical intervention or are a consequence malfunction hearts.
• Anaphylactic shock, developing in response to introduction medicinal product, as well as infectious shock - a condition in which blood vessels dilate, causing blood to flow away from the heart.
• Uncontrolled increased and deepening of breathing at panic attack or a fit of fear.
• Poisoning. The most common causes of loss of consciousness are excessive use alcohol, drug overdose and so on.
• Brain pathologies causing a sudden increase intracranial pressure(injuries, tumors, hemorrhages).
• All kinds of disorders of the autonomic nervous system and epilepsy. They are easily distinguished by loss of consciousness with convulsions, the cause of which is an epileptic seizure.
• Prolonged fasting, anemic. It especially often causes loss of consciousness in adolescents who do not follow a diet. Fainting occurs when hemoglobin decreases to 70 grams per liter.
• Lung diseases, especially bronchial asthma.
• Hypotension. Hypotonic patients often complain of drowsiness, loss of concentration, and memory difficulties. And there is a direct connection between low blood pressure and dizziness. Dysregulation of the cardiovascular system causes headaches and loss of consciousness.
• Hypertension. High blood pressure can also provoke acute illness, including the development of a hypertensive crisis. A number of neurovascular disorders lead to increased blood pressure - the cause of loss of consciousness in hypertensive patients.
• Diabetes. With either a lack or excess of insulin in the blood, people suffering from diabetes may lose consciousness.
• Lactic coma.

The age characteristics of the body also affect:

• In children, the symptom and cause of loss of consciousness is most often emotional overexcitement. The baby’s nervous system does not yet know how to cope with stress, so any shock - from a trip to the doctor to a festive line in honor of the first of September can result in fainting. It should be borne in mind that the causes of loss of consciousness in infants sometimes lie in dangerous pathologies nervous system. Therefore, such a malaise in young children should at least be alarming.
• In adolescents, in particular young girls, the cause of loss of consciousness is often menstruation and associated anemia. Thin guys often suffer from minor heart defects such as prolapse mitral valve, which is also accompanied by a symptom - darkening of the eyes when standing up.
• Dizziness and nausea often occur during menopause. In some cases, it is the state of menopause that causes loss of consciousness in women after 45 years of age. These symptoms prevent you from living and working fully, as the woman is afraid to leave the house so as not to fall on the street.
• The older age category is also at risk. Advanced age is a fairly common cause of loss of consciousness during sleep.

Symptoms

Loss of consciousness is almost always preceded by a period of so-called precursors. People who periodically experience such discomfort are able to accurately recognize the signs of lightheadedness:

• Nausea, which occurs abruptly or gradually and occurs in “roll-ups”.
• Compulsive yawning, as a symptom of oxygen starvation of the brain.
• Trembling hands and feet.
• Flickering of flies before the eyes. Everyone describes them in their own way - sometimes they appear in the form of yellow ripples, in other cases, visual impairment is expressed in cloudiness or veils before the eyes.
• Slowness of reactions. If a person is not alone and is communicating with someone at the time of illness, his interlocutor may notice some sluggishness in speech and a gaze resting on one point. The patient does not respond to questions, or answers with a long delay.
• Tinnitus. This symptom manifests itself progressively, starting with a slight noise and completely drowning out surrounding sounds before turning off consciousness.
• Headache, intensifying every minute and concentrated in the back of the head. There is also a feeling of heaviness in this part of the head.
• Excessive sweating.
• Pale skin. The skin of the face becomes ashen-gray.

During fainting, the body is motionless, all muscles are relaxed. It can even cause you to urinate when you lose consciousness. The pulse is superficial, rare and difficult to palpate. This condition can last from 3 to 5 minutes.

Afterwards, the person gradually comes to his senses, but feels completely overwhelmed. The fainting itself and the last seconds preceding it are usually not stored in memory.

First aid

If a person’s behavior indicates an approaching attack, the following actions must be taken:

• Sit or lay the person down so that his head is down. For example, lower your head between your knees, or lay the victim on his back and raise his legs up. This will help restore blood circulation;
• Unfasten the button at the neck, free the neck from the scarf, and remove all tight clothing;
• Provide fresh air flow. If a person becomes ill on public transport, open the window, ask the driver to stop, and take the victim outside.
• Sprinkle your face with cool water and let the cotton wool soaked in ammonia smell.
• If the victim’s eyes are open at the time of loss of consciousness, they should be closed to avoid drying out of the cornea.

If these measures are followed, the person will feel improvement and regain consciousness within a few minutes. But if they do not bring results, you need to move on to more serious actions.

• Provide the victim with a safe and comfortable position.
• Test your tongue by gently opening your jaws. If it ignites during an attack, it can cause suffocation for the victim. If necessary, return the tongue to its normal position.
• Check to see if the person was injured in the fall.
• Turn the victim onto his side.
• Check your pupils' reaction to light; they should constrict when exposed to light.
• Count your pulse and check your breathing pattern.
• If there is no pulse and breathing, it is necessary to begin resuscitation measures - cardiac massage and artificial respiration.
• If a person does not come to consciousness for more than 5 minutes, you must call an ambulance.

Temporary illness is not always life-threatening, but frequent loss of consciousness always has reasons, and sometimes quite serious ones. They may be caused by pathological processes occurring in the body and require mandatory consultation, and, possibly, further treatment with a cardiologist, neurologist and therapist.

Fainting is a rather unpleasant condition, its causes and warning signs, which everyone should know.

It gets dark before your eyes, and the ground disappears from under your feet - this is how people describe the fainting that happened to them. Although a short-term loss of consciousness is not always a sign serious problems, it is better to know why it happened.

Fainting occurs as a result of decreased blood flow and, consequently, lack of oxygen in the brain. Sudden narrowing of blood vessels, a drop in blood pressure due to a sudden change in posture, disruption of the heart - all these factors disrupt cerebral circulation, causing blackout. This short-term loss of senses, lasting from a few seconds to two minutes, is medically called syncope or fainting.

Despite fast development this state, you can notice characteristic features impending loss of consciousness. Feeling weak in the legs or general lightheadedness, dizziness, flickering before the eyes and ringing in the ears, skin pale and covered in cold sweat.

A person instinctively tries to lie down or sit down with his head hanging between his legs, which helps prevent falling and even loss of consciousness itself. For some time after recovering from a fainting state, a rare and weak pulse, low blood pressure, pallor and general weakness persist.

General classification of fainting

It is not always possible to find out why a person faints. Transient spasm of cerebral vessels also occurs in healthy young people who do not have heart problems. It can be caused by one or several factors: sudden external influences(pain, fear), accidental malfunction of any organ or serious illness, and even acceleration due to the rise in the elevator.

Depending on the cause, the following types of fainting are distinguished:

1. Neurogenic - occurs due to disruption of the autonomic nervous system.
2. Somatogenic – their occurrence is caused by changes in the body due to diseases or disruptions in activity internal organs. Among them, the most common are loss of consciousness of a cardiogenic nature, occurring due to diseases of the cardiovascular system.
3. Psychogenic – caused by nervous shock, accompanying anxiety states or hysteria.
4. Extreme – provoked by extreme factors external environment: poisoning, lack of oxygen in the air, changes in atmospheric pressure when climbing mountains, etc.

Neurogenic syncope

The majority of all cases of loss of consciousness occur due to an imbalance in the peripheral nervous system. that leads to sharp decline blood pressure, causing an autonomic reflex reaction. Such fainting occurs even in children during the growth period. The cause may be either vasodilation (in this case we speak of vasomotor syncope) or a decrease in pulse rate (vasovagal syncope). The reasons that cause them are different, but usually obvious.

1. Strong emotions (pain, fear, nervous shock, the sight of blood), prolonged standing, heat or stuffiness provoke vasopressor fainting. They develop gradually and can be prevented by noticing the signs mentioned above.
2. When a person stands up suddenly, especially after sleeping or sitting for a long time, there is a risk of orthostatic syncope. It also occurs due to hypovolemia (as a result of blood loss, diarrhea, vomiting, etc.), after a long period of bed rest, as a result of receiving medicines, lowering blood pressure. But sometimes the reason lies in autonomic failure or polyneuropathy.
3. A tight collar, an overtightened tie or a neckerchief pinches the arteries when turning the head, blood bearers to the brain. Carotid sinus syndrome (sinocarotid syncope) is observed. Similar irritation peripheral nerves leads to loss of consciousness when swallowing.
4. Nighttime urination after sleeping in a warm bed can cause a rare occurrence of nocturic syncope in men (mainly older people).

Heart disease and other somatic causes of loss of consciousness

Of all the fainting of a somatic nature, cardiogenic is the leading one. It occurs when a person has diseases of the cardiovascular system. Loss of consciousness in this case occurs suddenly, without pain or other previous symptoms, as a result of a decrease in cerebral blood flow due to a sharp decrease in cardiac output.

The reasons lie in diseases such as:

• arrhythmias;
• vegetative-vascular dystonia;
• cardiac ischemia;
• pulmonary embolism;
• other vascular lesions that prevent blood flow to the heart.

Chronic diseases respiratory tract(pneumonia, bronchial asthma, emphysema) contribute to bettolepsy - loss of consciousness during an attack severe cough.
Changes in blood composition due to anemia, kidney or liver failure increase the risk of oxygen starvation of the brain and sudden fainting.

Why do people still faint?

Mental illnesses accompanied by anxiety disorders and simply excessive impressionability lead to. They are characterized by prolonged pre-fainting states, which, in addition to physiological sensations, a feeling of fear and even panic is added.

However, sometimes a visit to the dentist, the sight of blood, or the need to speak in front of a large gathering of people is enough to create a state of intense fear. A person experiences a feeling of lack of air, breathing becomes excessively frequent and deep. Sometimes increased breathing occurs involuntarily. As a result, there is a drop in vascular tone due to respiratory alkalosis.

It is worth highlighting separately. It occurs in a person prone to hysterical manifestations and who has already fainted. The loss of senses does not last long, is accompanied by picturesque poses, occurs only in the presence of strangers, typical circulatory disorders (decreased pressure, change in pulse rate) and changes in breathing are not observed.

Sometimes such an attack can last for several hours, with no changes in vital functions. Although the purpose of hysterical fainting is to attract attention, it is not always a conscious phenomenon. The victim’s emotions prevail over reason, and the desire to lose consciousness is not considered.

Extreme factors of the external world have an impact strong influence per person, exceeding the physiological abilities of adaptation to them. These, predominantly exogenous effects, lead to a drop in blood pressure, a decrease in vascular tone, or another reason for the slowing of blood supply to the brain.

Such situational fainting arise as the body's response to:

• changes in ambient pressure when circling on a carousel, climbing mountains or as a result of decompression;
• acceleration during vertical ascent (on an elevator or in an airplane taking off);
• extreme heat and overheating of the body (heatstroke and sunstroke);
• decrease in oxygen in the air (for example, when climbing mountains) or carbon monoxide poisoning;
• poisoning leading to a decrease in blood pressure, including vasodilation under the influence of alcohol;
• taking medications (especially antihypertensives).

Since they are often neurogenic in nature, their onset can be prevented.

Although most fainting occurs for understandable and low-risk reasons, it is best to avoid situations that can cause this condition. When it's unclear why does a person lost consciousness, and even more so, if such cases are repeated, it is necessary to undergo a medical examination. Before the victim regains consciousness and for some time after that, he needs to maintain horizontal position or sit with your head bowed to increase blood flow to the brain.