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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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Is Sudden Fainting Of A Child A Cause For Concern?

My 11 year old daughter black out or fainted last night. She was lying on the couch and jumped up to give her dad a cuddle and she when limp in his arms. She was only out for a couple of seconds, but her eyes were open and she didn t know what happened. She gave us no warning that she was about to faint. Could this be something serious? She was clamy and cried when she came to.
Fri, 17 Jun 2016
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hello,
Thank you for your query.

Loss of consciousness is definitely a cause for concern for any age group

The important is to identify the exact cause for the fainting spell and associated symptoms.

From your description of her fainting spell, it sounds like a vasovagal attack, which is actually benign and in most cases, there is nothing to worry about and doesn't end any treatment with one time occurrence.
The sudden waking up and jumping did not give her cardiovascular system enough time to adjust with the activity of hugging her dad.

However, other causes to be primarily ruled out are seizures, structural defects in the heart and blood vessels supplying the heart & brain.

I recommend
- seeing her pediatrician
- an echocardiogram & electrocardiogram
-an electroencephalogram (for identifying any seizure activity)
-a CT scan of the brain
- an Echo stress test to see if there compromise in circulation when she is physically stressed.
-blood tests to check for anemia, calcium & magnesium levels.

These tests will be individualized based on the clinical findings. If necessary more detailed tests/scans may be required.

However, my strong suspicion is that it was an innocent vasovagal attack and if her doctor feels so too, all she would need is close observation and follow up if it occurs again.

It would be best not to startle her.

Any giddiness or white flashes in the vision, chest discomfort /pain, breathing difficulty, unusual headaches should be immediately checked out and warrants a doctor /ER visit

Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with.
Wish you all good health.

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Is Sudden Fainting Of A Child A Cause For Concern?

Hello, Thank you for your query. Loss of consciousness is definitely a cause for concern for any age group The important is to identify the exact cause for the fainting spell and associated symptoms. From your description of her fainting spell, it sounds like a vasovagal attack, which is actually benign and in most cases, there is nothing to worry about and doesn t end any treatment with one time occurrence. The sudden waking up and jumping did not give her cardiovascular system enough time to adjust with the activity of hugging her dad. However, other causes to be primarily ruled out are seizures, structural defects in the heart and blood vessels supplying the heart & brain. I recommend - seeing her pediatrician - an echocardiogram & electrocardiogram -an electroencephalogram (for identifying any seizure activity) -a CT scan of the brain - an Echo stress test to see if there compromise in circulation when she is physically stressed. -blood tests to check for anemia, calcium & magnesium levels. These tests will be individualized based on the clinical findings. If necessary more detailed tests/scans may be required. However, my strong suspicion is that it was an innocent vasovagal attack and if her doctor feels so too, all she would need is close observation and follow up if it occurs again. It would be best not to startle her. Any giddiness or white flashes in the vision, chest discomfort /pain, breathing difficulty, unusual headaches should be immediately checked out and warrants a doctor /ER visit Hope this helps. Please let me know if there is anything else I can help you with. Wish you all good health.