Heart disease Short loss of consciousness Possible signs of imminent cardiac death

Have you ever been unconscious? Fainting attacks necessarily tell the doctor

Anyone who has fainted before, should definitely tell his doctor. A brief unconsciousness can indicate an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. This is indicated by the German Heart Foundation.

Sudden cardiac death sometimes comes with forewarning

Usually comes a sudden heart death (or also second death or "second heart death") without warning. But some patients announce the event. For example, chest pain, palpitations, shortness of breath or dizziness may indicate an impending second-death. Such symptoms can occur several hours before the event, sometimes days to weeks before. Even a brief unconsciousness may indicate an increased risk of sudden cardiac death. This is indicated by the German Heart Foundation on its website.

A short unconsciousness can not only lead to dangerous storms, but also signify a heightened Ri-si-ko for sudden cardiac death. This is indicated by the German Heart Foundation. (Image: Gina Sanders / fotolia.com)

Determine fainting attacks conscientiously

Fainting attacks should therefore always be conscientiously clarified by a doctor.

It should absolutely be mentioned to the physician whether, for example, shortly before the loss of consciousness, one has felt indications for cardiac arrhythmias such as heart stuttering, palpitations, tachycardia or a significantly slower pulse than usual.

Fainting attacks due to heart disease such as arrhythmia often result in a greatly increased risk of sudden cardiac death.

Occurred unconsciousness during sport?

An equally important indication of heart-related unconsciousness are fainting attacks that occur under physical exertion, such as when climbing stairs, running uphill or doing sports.

If this was the case, it is important to make sure that this fact is not lost in any case when talking to the doctor.

It has long been known that sudden cardiac death occurs more frequently in athletes than in non-athletes. Even in children, sudden cardiac death is known in sports.

Preventing unconsciousness with a simple handle

It should also be communicated whether the fainting suddenly occurred out of nowhere or if there were signs of hurrying, such as nausea, sweating, dizziness, drowsiness, weakness, malaise or blurred vision.

For with fainting forms that announce themselves slowly with harbingers, your doctor can show you a simple gesture, with which you can often prevent an impending fainting attack in the future, writes the Herzstiftung.

Also call unpleasant info

In some cases, the unconscious situation may be embarrassing or otherwise unpleasant, such as when the fainting spell occurred during a violent quarrel, urination, sexual activity, the sight of a spider, or as an enthusiastic fan at a pop concert.

However, even in such cases, it is important to reproduce the situation correctly, since this will provide important information about the respective cause and otherwise there is a risk that an incorrect diagnosis will be made.

Do you take any medicine?

If you are taking any medications, you should make a compilation of which medications you have taken in which dosage in the days before the fainting.

This can be particularly important, for example, in unconsciousness, which have taken place when getting up from lying or sitting, since in such cases, over-acting blood pressure medications often play a role.

However, the doctor will not only look at the dosages of blood pressure medication, but also look specifically for agents that tend to interact with blood pressure drugs and may have enhanced their effect.

For this reason, you should absolutely note all medications including the drugs that you may have worried over the counter in the pharmacy. (Ad)