Hi,I am Dr. Shanthi.E (General & Family Physician). I will be looking into your question and guiding you through the process. Please write your question below.
Why Did I Lose Consciousness After A Coughing Fit?
I had a coughing fit yesterday and as a result, my friend said I went v red, I lost consciousness for a few seconds and then my friends was standing over me. i saw her but could not speak to her although i tried and i felt my body was convulsing. After that i was fine. What happened to me?
This is Dr. Sridhar and I shall be answering your question.
Well, when a person coughs, his intra abdominal and intra thoracic pressure increases. Increase in the intra abdominal pressure compresses your inferior vena cava, the blood vessel that carries blood from your body to your heart. As this vessel is compressed, heart doesn't receive the impure blood from the body. As a result, it fails to pump blood too ( as it didn't receive any). This decreases the blood flow to your brain, which results in loss of consciousness.
Hope this answers your query. Feel free to ask if you have any other doubt.
Wishing you good health. With warm regards, Dr. Sridhar
I find this answer helpful
You found this answer helpful
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Disclaimer: These answers are for your information only and not intended to replace your relationship with your treating physician.
This is a short, free answer.
For a more detailed, immediate answer, try our premium service
[Sample answer]
We use cookies in order to offer you most relevant experience and using this website you acknowledge that you have already read and understood our
Privacy Policy
Why Did I Lose Consciousness After A Coughing Fit?
Hi, Welcome to HCM! This is Dr. Sridhar and I shall be answering your question. Well, when a person coughs, his intra abdominal and intra thoracic pressure increases. Increase in the intra abdominal pressure compresses your inferior vena cava, the blood vessel that carries blood from your body to your heart. As this vessel is compressed, heart doesn t receive the impure blood from the body. As a result, it fails to pump blood too ( as it didn t receive any). This decreases the blood flow to your brain, which results in loss of consciousness. Hope this answers your query. Feel free to ask if you have any other doubt. Wishing you good health. With warm regards, Dr. Sridhar