This apparent lack of concern possibly arises from the fact that about 30 per cent of the population has experienced a faint, recovered quickly and needed no further medical attention, whereas many others may have observed friends or workmates recover spontaneously from faints.
Nevertheless, few understand why fainting occurs, what the common causes are, and when and how faints should be evaluated.
In fact, quite a lot of people panic and do not know what to do when the person near them suddenly faints.
Fainting is loss of consciousness, usually accompanied by loss of colour of the skin and although a faint occurs all of a sudden, it is often accompanied by feelings of light-headedness and nausea.
Fainting is twice as common in women as in men, and peaks in the teens and during pregnancy. Faints in older people may be a sign of serious disease.
Fainting is the body’s response to a reduction in blood supply, and therefore oxygen, to the brain.
The brain “uses” the faint to bring the head down to the level of the heart to make the best use of the available blood.
Many people faint at the sight of blood and in extreme cases even at the sight of other people’s blood. There are other reasons that could cause a person to faint. These include a hot, stuffy atmosphere or prolonged standing in one position.
Fainting could also be the emotional reaction to shock or sudden fear. Obstruction to the arteries of the neck on turning the head or looking upwards could also cause loss of consciousness.
Faints may be due to psychological factors but also to low blood pressure. This is especially true in elderly people on treatment for high blood pressure. Most blood pressure drugs work by slowing the heart and pooling blood in the legs.
So when the patient rises from bed, not enough blood – hence not enough oxygen – gets to the brain and a faint follows. Doctors usually encourage sufferers to get up slowly from bed and to leave at least a minute between sitting up and standing up.
Pregnant women faint for the same reason and the same advice applies. A very low blood sugar level could also cause a feeling of almost fainting or actual fainting. This is usually as a result of too much insulin or not enough food in a known diabetic. However, even people who are not diabetic may faint if the gap between meals is too long. This often happens to those who go on strict diets to lose weight, without a proper diet planned according to their needs and lifestyle by a professional dietician.
There is another aspect of fainting very common in young women with immature personalities; this is called hysterical fainting. This fainting always occurs in company and is used by the victim as a way of drawing attention to herself.
But what are the symptoms that usually precede a faint? Symptoms may be one or more of the following: pale face, weak and slow pulse, breathing becomes less deep than normal, cold and sticky skin, nausea, perspiration, weakness or even rapid heartbeats. Unconsciousness may either occur suddenly or one may have giddiness for a second then the body crumbles into a heap and soon becomes unconscious.
If there is any doubt as to the cause of fainting there are several things a doctor will want to do. An account of the few minutes before the attack is important: was the patient injured or stressed in any way? Did the sufferer feel (or onlookers see) limbs jerking?
The pulse and blood pressure should be measured to check that the heart is working normally and to give clues about blood loss. If diabetes is suspected, blood sugar should be tested to exclude hypoglycaemia.
If there is a possibility of epilepsy the brain’s electrical activity should be tested.
There is little that can be done once someone has fainted, except to make them comfortable until they recover.
The moment the person feels the faint his or her head should be pulled down quickly. If the person is already in a sitting position, get the head between the knees and hold it there for a minute or two.
It may be necessary to lay the person down, and slightly raise his or her feet to induce blood circulation towards the brain. Check that there is plenty of fresh air and ask onlookers to disperse.
Loosen clothing at the waist, chest and neck. Hold smelling salts in font of person’s nose if you have any available.
After recovery slowly raise the head, then make the person get up and sit down. When the patient comes around, give sips of water, orange juice, tea or coffee.
Fainting is common and fortunately, the cause is often innocent, and recurrence is infrequent. However, a faint may warn of serious underlying heart disease. Only a physician can really distinguish between innocent or serious situations that need to be taken care of.