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Can syncope cause blackouts?
Many people, including doctors, assume that blackouts are due to epileptic seizures, but much more commonly they are due to syncope (pronounced sin-co-pee) – a type of blackout which is caused by a problem in the regulation of blood pressure or sometimes with the heart.
Why do I keep blacking out for a few seconds?
The most common cause of blacking out is fainting. Other causes include epileptic seizures, syncope due to anxiety (psychogenic pseudosyncope) and other rare causes of faints. Other causes of blacking out may be due to low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia) and lack of oxygen (hypoxia) from a variety of causes.
What is the difference between fainting and blacking out?
Some people use the terms blackout and fainting interchangeably, but they are two different things. A blackout is a loss of memory. Fainting, also called passing out, is a loss of consciousness.
What can cause sudden blackouts?
What causes a blackout?
- epileptic seizures.
- fainting.
- low blood pressure.
- psychogenic seizures.
- low blood sugar.
- certain medications.
- oxygen restriction.
Can syncope look like a seizure?
Syncope is common in the general population, and its symptoms can mimic seizures, including myoclonic jerks, oral automatism, head-turning, and (rarely) urinary incontinence. Syncope may also trigger a seizure in patients who do not necessarily have epilepsy.
Does syncope show up on EEG?
At the onset of syncope, the initially normal EEG pattern turned abruptly to a diffuse, generalized, high-amplitude, 4- to 5-Hz (theta range) brain-wave slowing, rapidly followed by a further brain-wave amplitude increase and slowing at 1.5 to 3 Hz (delta range) (overall mean duration, 7.62.
Can low blood pressure cause blackouts?
The blackouts are the same as faints and the two terms can be used for the same thing. Blackouts are often due to low blood pressure, a condition called vasovagal syncope, which is where your blood pressure drops and not enough blood gets to your head and you pass out.