Parents have been anything but “faint” of heart to ask me about what to do if their child or teenager should experience a fainting episode.
Well, let me pass out some information on this topic.
Aspects and Causes of Fainting
Fainting represents a temporary loss of consciousness.
This is a result of blood not going to the brain due to a drop in blood pressure and is characterized by:
• Dizziness
• Lightheadedness
• Nausea
• Blurred vision
• Sweating
These symptoms can remain until an adequate amount of blood can get up to the brain.
There are many reasons why a child or teenager can faint.
The most common include:
• Being dehydrated
• Being in an environment that is too hot or crowded
• Standing in one place for a long time
• Getting up too fast after sitting or lying down – this can trigger the heart to speed up and then suddenly slow down and drop blood pressure resulting in a fainting episode.
• Emotional stress like fright, pain, anxiety, and hyperventilation can also trigger these nerves to cause someone to faint.
• Medical causes — such as problems with medication, a low red blood cell count causing anemia, or low blood sugar.
• Although rare, fainting may be due to an unusual heart rhythm problem, or a structural problem with the heart itself.
Possible Ways to Prevent Someone from Fainting
• If someone thinks they are going to faint, help them lie down before this happens, and loosen any tight clothing especially around their neck.
• If your child is out in hot weather or heated conditions, make sure hydration is always ample before, during and after exercise.
• If you sit for long periods, tensing up the leg muscles or crossing legs can help improve blood flow.
• Avoid overheated, cramped, or stuffy environments as much as possible.
If your child does faint, keep them lying down for 10-15 minutes with their legs elevated. Once they regain consciousness, make sure they don’t faint again, and give them something to drink if they can do so.
Please contact your child’s health care professional right after the episode occurs for further advice. If your child does not come to within a minute or so, if they hurt themselves by fainting, are experiencing chest pain or shortness of breath before, during, or after fainting, or the episode occurred while exercising, this type of fainting may signal more of a medical emergency requiring you to call 911 for help.
Hopefully, tips like these will help you stand up to the challenge of helping your child if they think they are going to faint.
Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at The University of Vermont Children’s Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and NBC5.