Fainting can occur for a number of reasons, from feeling terror to being dehydrated, a state in which the body does not have as much fluid or water as it should. In some instances, fainting requires emergency medical attention.
The ADAM Encyclopedia lists these warning signs of dangerous fainting:
- Fainting and falling from a height, particularly if there is bleeding or other injury.
- Not regaining alertness within a few minutes.
- Fainting when someone is pregnant or has diabetes, or is older than age 50.
- Fainting accompanied by pain or pressure in the chest.
- Fainting accompanied by changes in heartbeat or signs of stroke, including changes in speech, vision and the ability to move both sides of the body.
- Fainting that causes convulsions, an injury to the tongue or the inability to control the bowels or bladder.
Health Tip: Mini-Stroke Could Warn of Full-Blown Episode
A so-called "mini-stroke," medically known as a transient ischemic attack (TIA), triggers stroke-like symptoms that last for less than a day -- usually for an hour or two.
Anyone who has had a TIA should consider it a medical emergency and a warning sign of a potential full-blown stroke, the University of Maryland Medical Center says.
Treatment of a TIA should include steps that may ward off an actual stroke, the hospital says. It offers these suggestions:
- Take measures to control health problems that could trigger a stroke, such as heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes or blood disorders.
- Ask your doctor if you should take blood-thinning drugs that can help prevent clots.
- If you have a clog in a neck artery, recognize that you may need surgery.
- Quit smoking.
- Change to a healthier diet, by cutting back on salt and fat.
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