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Nearly one in three children and teens will faint at least once, but the fact that it’s a common problem doesn’t make it any less problematic for parents. Fainting seldom means your child has a health problem, but it can be a sign of a potentially severe condition. That’s why you should never ignore fainting.
Suppose your child needs an evaluation for fainting. In that case, you can depend on the compassionate and skilled team at THINK Neurology for Kids, which includes Shaun S. Varghese, MD, Cristina R. Marchesano, MD, Michelle E. Nwosu, MD, Lorena Herbert, MD, Barbara Kiersz-Mueller, DO, Lauren Weaver, MD, Alicia Walls, MD, Sundeep Mandava, MD, James P. Mayo III, M.D., MPH, Una Childers, PA-C, MPAS, Jennifer E. Martin, CPNP-PC, Tammy DeLaGarza, FNP-C, and Robby Korah, FNP-C.
Their providers naturally connect with children (and their parents), helping everyone feel comfortable while they explore the circumstances behind your child’s fainting and determine the cause of the problem.
Fainting occurs when the brain doesn’t get enough blood—the sudden loss of oxygen results in fainting.
Many children and teens have symptoms just before they faint, such as dizziness, nausea, ringing in their ears, and vision changes. But they usually don’t realize these symptoms mean they’re about to faint, so they fall when they lose consciousness.
The loss of consciousness only lasts a few seconds or minutes. When your child wakes, they should return to normal without residual side effects.
Fainting (syncope) has many possible causes that fall into the following three categories:
Reflex fainting, the most common cause, accounts for 60-80% of all fainting in children. These fainting episodes aren’t harmful and they don’t signal an underlying health problem.
Also called vasovagal syncope and neurally mediated syncope, reflex fainting occurs when something disrupts the nerves controlling your child’s heartbeat, blood pressure, and blood vessels.
Your body usually coordinates these activities to be sure your brain gets enough blood. However, many everyday events throw the nerves out of sync, leading to fainting.
Triggers that cause reflex fainting include:
Though rare, some children may faint after urinating or having a bowel movement.
Orthostatic syncope causes fainting when your child stands up after sitting for a time. If you ever felt dizzy after standing up too quickly, you may be familiar with this phenomenon. The sudden change from sitting to standing temporarily lowers blood pressure and causes fainting.
Orthostatic syncope most often occurs because blood pools in your child’s legs while sitting. Blood pooling temporarily slows down blood flow to the brain when they stand.
Conditions that cause dehydration may also lead to orthostatic syncope. For example, severe diarrhea, excessive sweating, and vomiting deplete body fluids, which lowers blood volume and causes fainting.
Your child may also develop orthostatic syncope if they have diabetes, low blood sugar, or a thyroid condition like Addison’s disease.
Fainting is one of the top symptoms of a heart problem in adults, but it seldom signals cardiac conditions in children and teens. When fainting is associated with cardiac problems, it could be caused by an inherited heart condition, irregular heart rhythm, heart valve problems, and cardiomyopathy (diseased heart muscle).
Red flags alerting you to a possible heart problem include fainting when exercising or playing sports and having a fast heartbeat just before fainting.
With so many possible causes, you need an expert medical team with the experience to diagnose and treat your child’s fainting accurately. For peace of mind and to protect your child’s health, call THINK Neurology for Kids or use online booking to request an evaluation for fainting.
