Dizziness and blackout

[Devan92]

I am an 18 year old girl. I’m quite healthy with no known health problems. About 5 years ago, when I was standing under the hot sun for a long time, I blacked out and fainted. I didn’t pay much attention to it as it was an isolated event. Of late, my fainting episodes have become more frequent. Almost everyday, I experience dizziness. Sometimes, I even blackout and have to sit for sometime before it gets normal. Even after that, I have this continued feeling of mild dizziness for up to a few hours after each episode. I am really worried. Please help.

[threedogsandacat]

Are you certain your having fainting spells and not a seizure? Having a high fever for a long time can cause seizures. I wonder if being in a hot environment for a long time could have the same effect. Seizures can start out mild and infrequent but as time goes by they happen more often and can become worse. I believe a Neurologist would be the type of Dr. you need to see.

You could also have a vitamin deficiency such as low iron . Especially if you are prone to heavy menstruation. Other medical conditions may also exist that your unaware of.

It would be best if you sought medical treatment pretty soon. They will do some blood work and probably a CT scan. If you go to the Emergency Room they can do the test fairly quick (you want have to wait for days) and will most likely have a Neurologist on call if your condition requires it. I think it would be a good idea if you didn't drive until you find out what's wrong. Try not to worry before you get a diagnosis, it want help anything and it's probably something very simple. I wouldn't ignore it and hope it goes away. Proactive is the way to go when it comes to your health.

[Dr. Kokil Mathur]

Hi
Welcome to the MedHelp forum!
There are many causes of dizziness, lightheadedness, passing out, blackouts etc. It is difficult to comment without examination. I am just enumerating the possible causes. You can discuss this with your doctor and get yourself examined. Dizziness could be due to postural hypotension (blood pressure falling with change of position), internal ear problems and cervical spondylitis or compression of cervical spinal nerves. All these cause dizziness when you get up from lying down position or when you change position that results in a change in the level of your head. Cervical spondylitis and ear problems also cause dizziness on changing the position of the neck.
Other causes are anemia, claustrophobia, GERD, hypoglycemia or low sugar and some endocrine problems. Endocrine problems, such as an underactive thyroid (called hypothyroidism), overactive thyroid (called hyperthyroidism), adrenal insufficiency (called Addison's disease), low blood sugar levels, and in some cases, diabetes, may lead to hypotension and hence lightheadedness and an off balance feeling.
Certain types of epilepsies and seizures too can cause similar symptoms. If you have an accompanying headache then you must also look at benign intracranial hypertension. Heart problems too should be ruled out in your case. If all other tests are normal, maybe an ECHO should be done to rule out mitral valve prolapse. It can also be chronic fatigue syndrome if all other causes are ruled out. A brain lesion too can cause dizziness but often there are other neurological signs such as numbness, tingling, loss of function of a limb etc.
Hope this helps. I think you should discuss these possibilities with your doctor. It is difficult to comment beyond this without examining. A comprehensive investigation is required keeping all the points in mind. Please let me know if there is any thing else and do keep me posted. Take care!

[cheshchesh819]

if i was you i would go to the doctors,askhimto do some tests