What Would Cause A Blackout Happen To A Fifty-year Old Man.
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For syncope/fainting to occur, either the reticular activating system in the brain needs to lose its blood supply, or both hemispheres of the brain need to be deprived of blood, oxygen, or glucose.
So it can be due to fall in BP, hypoglycemia, dehydration and inadequate electrolytes(sodium and calcium) in the body, postural hypotension, blockage of arteries supplying blood to the brain esp. the carotids,anemia,vasovagal attacks or underlying neurological conditions.
At 50 years of age, it can happen due to cholesterol plaque in one of the carotid arteries or due to an abnormal rhthym of the heart. I will suggest doing an ECHO Doppler of the heart, a 24 hours holter monitoring to look for any rhythm disturbances in the heart and a color Doppler of the vessels of the neck. If these tests are normal, then it will be quite reassuring.
Other than that the hemoglobin levels should also be checked to rule out any anemia.
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From the symptoms, it can be due to an epileptic fit, mini-stroke or due to rhythm disturbance of the heart. A transient ischemic attack (TIA) is caused by the temporary disturbance of blood supply to a restricted area of the brain; resulting in brief neurologic dysfunction that persists, by definition, for less than 1 hour; if symptoms persist then it is categorized as a stroke. The most common cause of a TIA is an embolus (a small blood clot) that occludes an artery in the brain.
It can be diagnosed after physical examination, blood pressure monitoring, ECG (Electrocardiogram), echocardiography and carotid Doppler. He also needs to get a MRI (Magnetic Resonant Imaging) head and a 24 hours holter monitoring of the heart done.
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Please accept my answer in case you have no follow up query.
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