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What Causes Fainting? Vasovagal Syncope

Fainting, Metoprolol, Sertraline, Syncope

What is Vasovagal Syncope?

When I was in my late 20’s I had to transfer my life insurance policy to a different company. The standard protocol before a life insurance company will insure you is to send a medical professional like a nurse to draw blood from you to see how healthy (or not) you are. On this particular occasion I began to notice my heart rate was elevating quite quickly, then chills and sweat set in, and then I became very light headed before finally passing out. Besides being a bit embarrassed, I couldn’t believe it. I had never passed out before when having my blood taken. When I regained consciousness I asked the nurse why that would happen. She said, “vasovagal syncope.” Of course, I then had to ask her what that was.

If you have ever fainted at the sight of your own blood or someone else’s you may have experienced a medical term known as “vasovagal syncope.”

The “vaso-” in the word vasovagal means vascular; which means related or pertains to the blood vessels. The “vagal” part of the first word is referring to the vagus nerve. When you combine the two parts of the word together is means “relating to or involving the blood vessels and the vagus nerve.”

The second word “syncope” is the medical term for fainting or loss of consciousness.

Vasovagal syncope is the most common cause of fainting. It occurs when your body reacts in an exaggerated way to such triggers as the sight of blood or extreme emotional distress. The trigger results in a sudden drop in your heart rate and blood pressure, which reduces blood flow to your brain and causes you to briefly lose consciousness.

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Vasovagal syncope is usually harmless and requires no treatment. But your doctor may recommend tests to rule out more-serious causes of fainting, such as heart disorders.

Causes of Vasovagal Syncope

According to mayoclinic.com, the following are some of the most common causes of vasovagal syncope:

1) Standing for long periods of time

2) Heat exposure

3) The sight of blood

4) Having blood drawn

5) Fear of bodily injury

6) Exertion, such as straining on the toilet

Psychological vs. Biological: Treatment is Contingent on Diagnosis

If vasovagal syncope is primarily psychological then it would seem plausible to overcome it by out thinking it. If it is biological then a treatment of drugs, physical therapies, or even surgery would need to be looked into. Some of the drugs used to treat vasovagal syncope are: 1) High blood pressure drugs such asBeta blockers like metoprolol. This type of drug is the most often used to prevent vasovagal syncope because it blocks some of the signals that can lead to fainting, 2) Antidepressants. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors such as paroxetine (Paxil), fluoxetine (Prozac) and sertraline (Zoloft) also have been successful in preventing vasovagal syncope,

3) Blood vessel constrictors. In addition to these drugs treating low blood pressure or asthma, they have sometimes been found helpful in alleviating vasovagal syncope.

If your doctor doesn’t prescribe a drug as treatment he or she may recommend a therapy that decreases the pooling of blood in the legs. Some specific techniques may include foot exercises, wearing elastic stockings or tensing your leg muscles when standing. Also, it may be advised to avoid prolonged standing – especially in hot, crowded places. In addition, they may tell you to drink plenty of fluids.

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Finally, a last resort may be surgery.Some people with vasovagal syncope have been helped by the insertion of an electrical pacemaker, which helps regulate the heartbeat.

As far as the question pertaining to a psychological component to vasovagal syncope, there does seem to be a great deal of validity to this. Therefore, psychiatric and psychological interventions seem to represent a promising treatment. To prove this personally, the next time I had blood drawn I was more prepared and had a mental strategy to overcome vasovagal syncope–and it worked. I never experienced even the remotest of symptoms.

Is Vasovagal Syncope Genetic?

The conclusion of some studies is that vasovagal syncope is not genetic.

SOURCES:

http://www.mayoclinic.com
http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com
http://europace.oxfordjournals.org
http://www.springerlink.com
http://europace.oxfordjournals.org

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