|
TRANSIENT LOSS OF CONSCIOUSNESS |
|
decreased cerebral blood flow: |
|||||
|
invreased vagal tone: |
vasovagal syncope cough syncope micturition syncope |
||||
|
postural syncope (orthostatic hypotension): |
fluid / blood loss, including heat syncope anti-hypertensive drugs (over-treatment of HT)adrenal insufficiency elderly (various factors) |
||||
|
associated with head movements: |
vertebro-basilar insufficiency (usually + diplopia and vertigo)carotid sinus hypersensitivity |
||||
|
exertional syncope (indicates severe limitation of cardiac output): |
aortic or pulmonary stenosis hypertrophic cardiomyopathy steal syndromes |
||||
|
cardiac arrhythmias (3%): |
tachycardia, eg. VT, SVTbradycardias, including sick sinus syndrome transient asystole or ventricular fibrillation |
||||
|
intracerebral pathology: |
cerebral infarction or haemorrhage cerebral contusion or concussion |
||||
|
epilepsy: |
||
|
generalised: |
grand mal (tonic-clonic)petit mal ('absence seizures')akinetic (atonic) seizures myoclonus with loss of consciousness |
|
|
partial (focal; usually no LOC, unless with 2� generalisation): |
simple partial seizures complex partial seizures secondarily generalised partial seizure temporal lobe epilepsy Jacksonian seizures |
|
|
other: |
|
hysterical faints unknown cause (40%) |
click here to return to the main contents page of Differential Diagnoses in General Medicine