Fainting

[Jezebel]

Hi Everyone

Here's some information about fainting, I'm sure at one point or another we have all felt faint/dizzy, I know I have. So yea,happy reading

Fainting can be caused by a variety of things. It is related to your heart, circulation, blood pressure and breathing, but is triggered by different factors in different people. More than one thing may be the cause of fainting and sometimes a specific cause cannot be found.

Stressful situations, pain and excitement can all cause fainting. They cause feelings of strong emotion, distress or shock, which puts physical and mental strain on the body. Stressful situations may be anything from receiving an injection, to feeling panicky in a hot and overcrowded room. Fainting can also occur when you feel very nervous, or after witnessing a shocking or unexpected event.

Fainting occurs when there has been a fall in blood pressure, which reduces the amount of blood and oxygen flowing to the brain. This is more common in people with low blood pressure, teenagers, and pregnant women. A faint is most likely to happen in a hot environment when blood vessels in the skin expand, reducing central blood pressure.

Symptoms
A faint is characterised by suddenly feeling weak and unsteady, before passing out for a short period of time, usually just for a few seconds. It can happen when you are sitting down, standing up, or when you get up too quickly, and is caused by a momentary shortage of oxygen to the brain. Fainting is your body’s way of getting you to lie down, so that oxygen-carrying blood can quickly get back to your brain.

Just before you lose consciousness, you may experience the following symptoms:

yawning;
a sudden clammy sweat;
nausea;
fast, deep breathing;
confusion;
blurred vision or ‘spots’ in front of the eyes; and
ringing in the ears.

Causes
The symptoms of a faint are caused by a temporary shortage of blood supply to the brain. The blood carries oxygen, which the brain needs to function. A fall in blood pressure can be caused by a number of different things, including:

low blood pressure, particularly if you faint after a few days in bed, or as you stand up from a sitting or lying position;
over-stimulation of an important nerve called the vagus nerve. This causes the heart rate to slow down and lowers the blood pressure. It is called a vaso-vagal attack and is triggered by intense stress, fear or pain;
anaemia;
a fall in blood sugar levels, which may happen if you are diabetic, or if you have not eaten anything for a long time;
fast, shallow breathing (hyperventilation);
heat exhaustion and dehydration;
unusually strenuous exercise;
constipation (straining can cause a reduction in blood supply to the brain);
menstruation; and
pregnancy.
After a faint, most people should return to normal fairly quickly, although they may feel nauseous and disorientated for a short while. If a person feels very weak, or has difficulty speaking, this may indicate a more serious underlying problem.

Fainting can sometimes be a symptom of a more serious disorder, such as:

temporary abnormal heart rhythms (paroxysmal arrhythmia, Stokes–Adams attacks);
epilepsy;
transient ischaemic attack (TIA or ‘mini-stroke’);
heart problems; including heart attack and aortic valve stiffening (stenosis);
micturition and cough syncope (fainting when passing urine or during a severe coughing fit); and
narcolepsy (sleeping disease).

Diagnosis
You faint when a drop in blood pressure prevents the brain getting enough oxygen. By falling to the floor, the head is at the same level as the heart, which enables more blood to get to the brain. Most people return to normal fairly quickly after fainting, and further investigation by your GP is usually only necessary in the following cases:

if the faint followed a fall from a height, especially if there is also injury or bleeding;
if consciousness is not quickly regained (within a couple of minutes);
if you are pregnant or over 50 years old;
if you have diabetes;
if you feel chest pain or discomfort, pounding or irregular heartbeat;
if you have loss of speech, visual disturbances, or inability to move one or more limbs; or
if you have convulsions, or loss of bowel control.
Even if it is not an emergency situation, you should consult your GP if you have never fainted before, if you are fainting frequently, or if you have new symptoms associated with fainting. Your GP will ask you about the symptoms you felt when you fainted, what you were doing beforehand, and how quickly you regained consciousness. It may be helpful if a friend can provide an eye witness account of the event.

Your GP will also need to know about any medication you are taking.Your GP may wish to carry out a physical examination, which will focus on your heart, lungs, and nervous system. Your blood pressure will be measured, sometimes in several places, to find out if it is equal in all parts of the body. Your heart may be examined with a stethoscope to listen for sounds that can indicate valve abnormalities. Examination of the nervous system for reflexes can detect conditions of the nerves and brain.

Depending on whether there are other symptoms, you may be admitted to hospital for further tests. These may include a chest X-ray, an electrocardiogram (ECG) to record the electrical activity of the heart, or an echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart).

[Jezebel]

Treatment
If you have a history of fainting, try to avoid sudden changes in posture. Get up from lying or sitting positions slowly and gradually, and avoid hot, stuffy environments that may make you more likely to faint. As soon as you feel faint, try if possible to lie down with your legs slightly raised above the level of the torso. This restores blood flow to the brain and helps to prevent a faint.

If you know that injections or common procedures such as blood tests make you feel faint, tell the doctor or nurse beforehand so that they can make sure you are lying down.

If you know someone is going to faint, or suspect that it is going to happen, help the person lie down, preferably with their head low and the legs raised. If it is not possible to lie down, sit the person feeling faint with their head between their knees. Gently but firmly push down on their head, while they push their head upwards. This encourages the blood to flow to the brain, which reduces the symptoms and helps the person to recover more quickly.

If, when a person faints, they do not regain consciousness within one or two minutes, put them into the recovery position. Lay them on their side with their chin up slightly so that they can breathe easily. Alert the emergency services and stay with the person until medical help arrives.

Most of the time, no further treatment is needed for fainting. However, if the person faints repeatedly or has other symptoms, possible treatment may include:

blood transfusions for anaemia;
treatment with fluids for dehydration;
drug treatment for arrythmia (irregular heartbeat). A pacemaker may be implanted to slow the heart in certain types of fast arrhythmias;
surgery: bypass surgery or angioplasty to treat coronary heart disease;
drug treatment to raise the blood pressure; or
stopping medication that may be causing low blood pressure.

Prevention
Learn to recognise the warning signals that you may be about to faint. If possible, let people around you know that you are feeling faint, so they can help to prevent you falling and injuring yourself.

People who feel faint, or who pass out for a few seconds, should lie down or sit with their head between their legs for 20-30 minutes, or until they have fully recovered. Standing up again too soon causes dizziness and may trigger another faint.

[Candescence.]

Great thread. Very informative.