What causes a child to suddenly pass out?

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The most common cause of fainting in children is called vasovagal syncope, which is a direct result of being dehydrated, a response to pain, or emotional distress that causes the heart rate and blood pressure to drop suddenly.

What are 3 causes of fainting?

Causes of fainting

fear or other emotional trauma.
severe pain.
a sudden drop in blood pressure.
low blood sugar due to diabetes.
hyperventilation.
dehydration.
standing in one position for too long.
standing up too quickly.

What does passing out look like?

Fainting is a temporary loss of consciousness. If you’re about to faint, you’ll feel dizzy, lightheaded, or nauseous. Your field of vision may “white out” or “black out.” Your skin may be cold and clammy. You lose muscle control at the same time, and may fall down.

When should I be concerned about my child fainting?

Patients should be evaluated immediately and referred to a cardiologist if they experience: Fainting without an obvious trigger or in a non-typical setting. Fainting without any warning signs or symptoms. Fainting associated with exercise or stress, particularly occurring during exertion.

What should you do if a child faints?

If your child faints, check to see if she hit her head and is breathing OK. If your child isn’t breathing normally or doesn’t seem quite right, take her immediately to the emergency room or call 911—especially if the fainting happened while your child was exercising or participating in sports.

Does fainting damage the brain?

If the brain is starved of oxygen for more than a minute or two it is irreversibly damaged. While fainting carries the risk of hitting your head, evolution has judged a potential knock to be less dangerous than the threat of oxygen starvation. So, the brain sends a signal to the leg muscles to stop working.

What brain problems cause fainting?

Syncope isn’t normally a primary sign of a neurological disorder, but it may indicate an increased risk for neurologic disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), diabetic neuropathy, and other types of neuropathy.

How do you know if fainting is serious?

A fainting episode may be the symptom of a more severe underlying condition, such as heart disease. People should seek medical assistance if they: have a first episode of fainting. noticed chest pains or an irregular, pounding heartbeat before losing consciousness.

What should I do if my child faints?

Why would an 8 year old faint?

Kids faint because of the reduced blood supply to their brain. Triggers for this reduction in blood supply include: Dehydration. Medications.