What is a vasovagal syncope

The vasovagal syncope, or common fainting, is a response from the body that causes a sudden descent of blood pressure. Learning to recognize your symptoms and adopt preventive measures can help you avoid unnecessary scares.

Fainting is usually a rather frequent reason for consultation in emergency centers. What we know for common faintingit is what, at the medical level, we catalog Vasavagal. This phenomenon occurs when the body experiences an abrupt fall in blood pressure, which temporarily reduces blood flow to the brain. This is due to an exaggerated response of the vagus nerve (autonomic nervous system) that produces all the changes described above.

Why does it occur?

This reaction can be triggered by several factors:

• Intense emotional stress.
• Severe pain.
• Stay standing for prolonged periods.
• Exposure to hot environments.
• Extreme fatigue
• Predisposition to have low blood pressure.

Symptoms

Before an episode of Syncope Vasavagal, it is common to experience signs and symptoms that act as warnings (prodromes). Some of these are:

• Sensation of dizziness.
• Nausea.
• Shaking.
• Cold sweating.
• Blurred or dark vision.
• Pallor.
• Palpitations.

If the person does not feel or run quickly when he notices these symptoms, he can lose knowledge briefly and suffer a fall.

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Diagnosis

The diagnosis of Vasavagal syncope is usually based on a detailed medical history of episodes and a complete physical examination. In some cases additional tests such as:

• Inclination test (Tilt Table Test) To observe the body’s response to the change of position.
• MAP: outpatient monitoring of blood pressure.
• Electrocardiogram (ECG) to evaluate the electrical activity of the heart.
• Holter monitor to record the heart rate for a prolonged period of time.

Treatment

The management of the syncope Vasavagal depends on the frequency and severity of the episodes. Some of these measures are:

• Identification and avoidance of known triggers.
• Muscle contraction techniques to increase blood pressure.
• Adequate hydration.
• In severe cases, medications such as beta blockers can be prescribed by a doctor.

Prevention

The prevention of syncope Vasavagal implies both changes in lifestyle and strategies to handle symptoms:

• Avoid standing for long periods.
• Consume liquids regularly to maintain good hydration.
• Practice breathing and relaxation techniques to handle stress
• Turn us up or flex the trunk between the knees when we notice any of the symptoms we have commented.

Forecast

Vasavagal syncope is generally a benign process, but it can be alarming. Sometimes the severity of the painting lies in the consequences of the fall that has occurred by the syncope and not by the syncope itself (head trauma, bone fractures …). There are more predisposed people to suffer than others. For this reason, it is important to know the causes and know how to identify the symptoms to be able to adopt preventive measures to reduce the frequency of episodes.

What you should know …

• What we know for common fainting is what, at the medical level, we catalog how Vasavagal syncope. This phenomenon occurs when the body experiences an abrupt fall in blood pressure, which temporarily reduces blood flow to the brain.
• To prevent it, we can take some measures such as: avoiding standing for long periods, consuming liquids regularly to maintain good hydration, practice breathing and relaxation techniques to handle stress …
• We can also lie down or flex the trunk between the knees if we notice symptoms such as dizziness sensation, nausea, tremor, cold sweating, blurred or dark vision, paleness, palpitations …

Posted by Dr. Laura Arrey Tané