Many people experience fainting, which is a temporary loss of consciousness, for various reasons. This condition causes a temporary disruption of the blood supply to the brain. It may indicate the presence of a serious illness. In medicine, there is such a thing as vasovagal syncope, which is accompanied by a sharp decrease in heart rate and a drop in blood pressure.
It is considered not life-threatening, but if repeated often, the quality of life is significantly reduced. There is a symptom in childhood, and the nature of the attack over the course of life does not change. Let's try to consider what vasovagal syncope is, symptoms, causes of their occurrence.
Features of the disease
This pathological condition is characterized by a temporary loss of consciousness, mainly when a person is in a standing position. It occurs as follows: due to a rather low venous return, it begins to increasesympathetic tone. In people suffering from frequent syncope of this type, this increase is quite large, which causes an increased contraction of the heart. Intense impulses enter the brain from the nerves, which leads to an increase in parasympathetic and a decrease in sympathetic tone. The result is bradycardia, which lowers blood pressure, causing fainting.
Reasons
Vasovagal syncope usually occurs due to an incorrect reaction of the body to stimulation of specific receptors of the autonomic nervous system.
The most common causes of this ailment are:
- strong emotions like fear;
- drawing blood from a finger or vein, pain;
- prolonged standing;
- moderate physical activity with a sudden stop;
- wearing a tight tie or collar;
- fear of going to the dentist.
Thus, if vasovagal syncope has occurred, the reasons for this may be different. In any case, it is accompanied by a sharp expansion of blood vessels, a reduction in heart rate up to cardiac arrest, as well as a slowdown in breathing. Consciousness returns on its own within seconds.
People suffering from cardiovascular diseases are generally contraindicated for a long time in the heat in a standing position, as there is a high probability of fainting.
Symptoms
Faintvasovagal is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- sweating, nausea, blurred vision, tinnitus;
- skin turns pale;
- significantly reduced heart rate and pressure;
- fainting always occurs when a person is in an upright position, and if at the beginning of an attack to lay him horizontally, the ailment will recede.
Diagnosis
The doctor should be consulted as soon as the first attack happened. Usually the causes of such a faint are not terrible, but sometimes it can indicate serious violations of the body. For example, about a tumor and cardiovascular diseases that can be fatal.
First, the doctor finds out from the patient when fainting began, whether they proceed in the same way, what precedes the loss of consciousness and what the patient can associate with their occurrence. After this, the doctor begins to be interested in the following questions:
- the profession of the patient and whether it is associated with a risk to life (driver, pilot, diver, roofer);
- Do the patient's relatives suffer from cardiovascular diseases, have they ever lost consciousness, since vasovagal syncope can be hereditary.
Then the doctor examines the patient, notes his skin color, the appearance of nails, hair, respiratory rate, the presence of heart murmurs and wheezing in the lungs. Assigns general andbiochemical blood test.
In addition, diagnostics includes the following procedures:
- Electrocardiography (ECG), which measures the performance of the heart.
- 24-hour Holter electrocardiogram monitoring (HMECG). Within 24-72 hours, an electrocardiogram is recorded, and if it is possible to fix a faint, then certain changes are displayed on it. Out of syncope, normal indicators are noted.
- Echocardiography (EchoCG). It is carried out only in order to exclude diseases of the vessels and the heart.
- Orthostatic test. With the help of this method, the diagnosis of "vasovagal syncope" is made. The essence of this procedure is that the patient lies on a special bed at an angle of 60 degrees for 30 minutes. During this time, electrocardiogram indicators are taken, and blood pressure is automatically or manually measured. During fainting, there is a sharp drop in blood pressure and interruptions in the work of the heart.
Vasovagal syncope can be single. They are not necessarily provoked by any disease, often loss of consciousness occurs in perfectly he althy people.
First aid for fainting
If the patient has a fainting state or has already lost consciousness, he should be laid on a horizontal surface, unbuttoned or removed from him clothes - it restricts his breathing - and put his legs on a hill to ensure blood flow to the head. In most cases, such help allows a person to quickly recover.
But it also happens that he continues to be unconscious. In this case, it is necessary to give the brain some kind of signal from the outside world so that it reacts and starts the entire “system”. This requires any strong stimulus. For example, you can give him ammonia to smell, splash cold water on his face, or lightly pat his cheeks.
The patient should not be allowed to get up immediately after a vasovagal syncope has occurred, since the blood supply has not yet been fully restored. It is necessary to bring him to his senses gradually, as far as possible by controlling his condition. If such methods did not help, you should urgently call an ambulance, since prolonged hypoxia of the brain can cause irreversible changes, even death.
Medicated treatment
If vasovagal syncope is diagnosed, treatment depends on the severity of the condition. In some cases, loss of consciousness occurs very often, and it also happens that fainting goes away on its own. Treatment is usually prescribed for those who have such a pathological condition occurs so often that the person becomes unable to work.
Drug therapy includes the use of beta-blockers such as Atenol and Metoprolol. With the help of these drugs, the processes of myocardial contraction are reduced and excessive activation of the mechanoreceptors of the heart is prevented.
Bradycardia is treated with M-cholinoblockers. Basically, these are patches consisting of scopolamine. use themfollowed once every three days. To reduce the frequency of fainting, the doctor prescribes "Disopyramide", which has M-anticholinergic and negative inotropic effects. Theophylline is used much less frequently.
If during the diagnosis serious disorders of the heart, a lack of trace elements or a tumor were detected, then the doctor should prescribe treatment methods in accordance with these diseases.
Surgical treatment
This treatment involves the installation of a pacemaker. This requires a combination of the following factors:
- patient's age over 40;
- frequent fainting;
- no signs of loss of consciousness (darkness in the eyes, dizziness, tinnitus);
- cardiac arrest recorded.
Fainting after exercise
There are situations where vasovagal syncope occurs after exercise. In this case, provoking factors are: a tight collar, a sharp turn of the head, a strong compression of the chest, pressure on the area of the carotid sinus.
Vasovagal syncope occurs in athletes in this way:
- there is a sudden reflex expansion of peripheral vessels, resulting in a sharp decrease in cardiac output and cerebral hypoxia develops;
- sudden reflex suppression of cardiac activity by the vagus nerve up to complete cardiac arrest.
In the first case, there is a normal syncope, and in the second, blood circulation suddenly stops, which requiresimmediate medical attention.
Preventive measures
If any serious disease has not been diagnosed, then it is necessary to seriously think about the implementation of preventive measures, which are as follows:
- need to avoid situations that can provoke loss of consciousness;
- you can’t stay in the heat for a long time, starve, smoke, drink alcohol, overwork;
- must limit strenuous exercise for three months;
- need to improve he alth - do light jogging in the morning, swimming, water aerobics;
- contrast shower and hardening have a positive effect on blood vessels;
- in order for blood pressure to always be normal, it is necessary to observe the daily routine, i.e. find the optimal balance between work and rest, which will help save strength;
- you can not bend over sharply and get up from a prone position, as orthostatic collapse may occur;
- normalizes blood pressure well using herbal tea from chamomile and mint, St. John's wort, and lemon balm.
Funning during pregnancy
Sometimes vasovagal syncope occurs during pregnancy. The condition of a woman in an interesting position is often accompanied by general malaise and increased weakness, and this is due to an increased load on the body. The appearance of fainting makes her very worried. They occur in the following cases:
- abrupt change in circulation;
- lowblood sugar;
- sharp movements;
- heat and stuffiness;
- long and frequent lying on the back;
- toxicosis.
Frequent fainting is dangerous due to falling, so be sure to inform your gynecologist about it.
Conclusion
Thus, vasovagal syncope can provoke quite serious diseases, so you should definitely consult a doctor for diagnosis and treatment. They also sometimes occur in he althy people. Thanks to preventive measures, such a disease can be avoided.
