Bangalore, July 28: President Nikolas Sarkozy, known to be a fitness enthusiast, was diagnosed with Near-Syncope on Sunday, after being rushed to hospital following a spell of dizziness. Doctors linked it to fatigue and exercise on a humid day.
“It is called Syncope when a person feels very giddy and loses consciousness. A near black out is called Near Syncope,” explains Dr Ravi Kishore, an electro-physiologist with the Syncope Clinic in Bangalore. President Sarkosy is in his 50s, but Syncope, according to Dr Kishore, can occur to a person in any age group.
What most people experience can be a result of stress, work overload or physical exertion? The term for such a condition is Vasovagal Syncope. “This can result from extreme fatigue or cardio-rhythmic disorders,” he says.
Stress seems an unavoidable part of work these days and pushing oneself isn’t favourable either. Fitness trainer, Madhuri M from Pink, a fitness centre in the city, says workout regimens vary from person to person: “There may be people who cannot work out for more than a few minutes initially due to the sort of lifestyle that they lead. Age has little to do with the exercises followed. It is all about stamina. Cardio workouts and weight training may be recommended accordingly.”
A hot day, delayed meals and dehydration can trigger Syncope too. “In India, most people experience giddiness in gatherings at a wedding hall, etc, where they have not had food or water for a long time,” says Dr Kishore. He also points out how a lot of runners faint during a marathon: “Apart from avoiding such conditions like a humid environment at events, it is also important to drink water, get adequate salts into the body and sit down immediately.”
A fainting spell is often dismissed as a sudden drop in blood pressure and most people who have experienced a blackout avoid checking up the cause with a doctor. An examination of the person’s medical history and an electrocardiogram can identify the cause of Syncope in most cases.
Dr Kishore calls it a symptom, like fever, that can be the sign of other underlying problems. For the same reason, treatment is carried out after the cause is identified. These can range from neurological to cardiac problems. “It can be dangerous if it proves to be a sudden cardiac arrest,” he warns.
–Agencies