Syncope or fainting in children

Colloquially, it is called fainting, fainting, or lightheadedness. sudden and transient loss of consciousness and postural tone. Loss of consciousness occurs during syncope, but it is usually very brief, between 20 and 30 seconds. Although sometimes they can last minutes and, on some occasions, the longest can be accompanied by seizures or relaxation of the sphincters.

What is syncope?

Syncope it is a symptom, not a disease is itself, and it is a defense mechanism of the body when there is a transient decrease in cerebral blood flow. If the brain detects that it receives less blood, it causes the person to lose consciousness and fall to the ground and, in this position, the blood flow in the brain is greater.

Despite how cumbersome a syncope, in most cases, they are completely benign and they tend to be more frequent in adolescents than in children. In spite of everything, whenever a child or adolescent faints or has a syncope, it should be

Common causes of syncope in children

For its correct operation the brain needs oxygen that comes to you through the bloodstream and for this you need the autonomic nervous system and the circulatory system to ensure that the blood pressure be normal. If the pressure drops, the flow of blood to the brain decreases and, this, as a protection mechanism “disconnects”, producing A faint.

A syncope may have various causes, most of them are benign. In childhood the most frequent cause is vasovagal or neurocardiogenic syncope. In this case, syncope is an automatic reflex of the body to a sudden decrease in blood pressure. blood pressure and of the heart rate. It can be produced by physical stimuli (pain, heat, being on your feet for a long time) or psychic (aversions, fear ...).

Some common and benign situations that can cause it are:

• Exhaustion or tiredness
• Anxiety or phobias (for example, when seeing blood).
• Extreme heat.
• Feeling overwhelmed in crowded places.
• Get up quickly after sitting or lying down.
• Swallow or cough
• Urinate
• pain.
• Pregnancy.

In addition, you should always check if the fainting appears while the child is doing physical activity, if he has chest pain or palpitations. However, not all causes of syncope are benign. There are more serious conditions that can cause you to pass out, such as:

• Hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels).
• Side effects of some drugs.
• Cardiac arrhythmias or congenital heart disease.
• Anemia.
• .
• migraine.
• Alcohol or carbon monoxide poisoning.
• Dehydration

How to deal with a syncope?

The best way to treat a fainting spell or syncope is laying the child in a lateral safety position and going to an emergency department to rule out a major problem that needs to be addressed.

Medical assessment is essential to be able to differentiate a benign syncope of one life threatening. Therefore, the pediatrician may perform complementary examinations (such as an echocardiography or an echocardiogram) to rule out heart diseases that could have caused the syncope. If the fainting spells recur frequently, a cardiological, metabolic, and neurological study should be performed to diagnose the cause. In very specific cases, the (cardiac stress test), the electrophysiological study or the tilt table test may be indicated.

Can they be prevented?

Some kinds of syncope present premonitory symptoms, called presyncope, such as: feeling dizzy, weak, profuse sweating, ringing in the ears, muscle weakness, nausea or visual disturbances, and can alert the person to the imminence of syncope.

• They can only be prevented syncopes whose cause is known. Therefore, avoiding the situations that trigger them, they do not appear.
• On hot days or with physical activity, it is convenient to hydrate well.
• If the child or adolescent feels symptoms prior to the onset of syncope, the most appropriate is lay him down with his legs higher than his head. This increases blood flow to the brain and helps recovery.

This series of tips may be of interest to children or adolescents with syncope:

• Avoid syncope-triggering situations if they are known.
• Do not get up abruptly whether you are sitting or lying down.
• Avoid standing for a long time. If you have to be, it is advisable to move the muscles of the legs so that the blood flow reaches the heart. A simple trick is to stand on your toes and heels with your feet alternately.
• Rest and correct feeding, getting enough sleep at night and avoiding many hours of fasting.
• Keep well hydrated for the whole day.
• Practice physical exercise on a regular basis.
• The psychological stress, pain or fever they can cause syncope more easily.
• If the symptoms that precede syncope appear, it is necessary for the child to lie down as soon as possible to avoid loss of consciousness and falling to the ground. Someone owes you lift legs and head cocked, to improve blood flow, breathe better and recover as soon as possible.

• In the most cases are benign and children and adolescents who suffer from them recover in a few minutes and without sequelae.
• Must be always consult if the fainting occurs while the child is doing physical activity, if he has chest pain or palpitations.
• Benign syncope not related to a disease, which are the majority, do not require any treatment. Over time they tend to improve.

Pediatric Specialist