Let's talk about syncope

Doctor José Joaquin Martínez, Intensivist Internist Cardiologist. Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit of the General Hospital of the Plaza de la Salud.

Syncope consists in the total and transitory loss of consciousness and postural tone, with the subsequent total and spontaneous recovery ("ad integrum") without any symptoms remaining (sequela) after such loss of consciousness.

It is a very frequent situation and it is estimated that 40% of the population will have syncope at some time in their life.

It is a frequent cause of consultation in emergencies and generates a lot of anxiety and concern in people who suffer from it and in their family environment.

Syncope is usually characterized by its rapid onset, short duration, and spontaneous recovery, usually lasting between 20 and 40 seconds, but this can vary depending on the type or cause.

Syncope can be confused with many other clinical situations, which also cause loss of consciousness and postural tone.

There are terms that are often confused with syncope, such as fainting, fainting, lipotimia, etc.

Causes. Syncope can occur in people with a structurally healthy heart, that is to say without any heart disease, and sometimes occurs in young, otherwise healthy athletes, but there are cases in which it is related to a disease of the cardiovascular system, and even with non-heart disease. cardiac

Cardiac diseases that are usually associated with syncope are those where there is obstruction of blood flow, such as aortic stenosis, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, coarctation of the aorta, etc.

There are cases in which syncope is related to diseases of the central nervous system, the autonomic system, blood vessels, etc.

There are many causes and types of syncope, but in all there is a decrease in systolic blood pressure with the subsequent decrease in cerebral perfusion (irrigation) and the subsequent decrease in oxygen supply to the brain, a situation that is very poorly tolerated at the cerebral level .

Most syncopal pictures are benign in nature, and do not represent risks to the patient's life.

Other cases (the minority) are due to serious situations, especially cardiac arrhythmias or coronary heart disease that do pose a threat to the patient's life and require prompt diagnosis, and timely treatment.

The management of the syncope in most cases requires a multidisciplinary team, although, at the outset, the cardiologist must be the first physician to address the case.

Posted in: Hoy Digital newspaper.