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Medical Author:

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Jerry R. Balentine, DO, FACEP

Dr. Balentine received his undergraduate degree from McDaniel College in Westminster, Maryland. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine graduating in1983. He completed his internship at St. Joseph's Hospital in Philadelphia and his Emergency Medicine residency at Lincoln Medical and Mental Health Center in the Bronx, where he served as chief resident.

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Medical Editor:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Preventive measures depend on the cause and the severity of the fainting problem. Fainting can sometimes be prevented by taking simple precautions.

• If you faint in hot rooms, the solution is obvious: Avoid hot rooms.
• If you faint while standing up from a lying down position, take care to move slowly when standing up. Move slowly to a sitting position and rest a few minutes. When you are ready, stand up, using slow and fluid movements.

In other cases, the cause of fainting can be elusive. Several visits to your health care practitioner may be needed to establish a pattern of when fainting occurs and thus a diagnosis. Once the cause is determined, treatment can be started to prevent further episodes.

Cardiac syncope: Because of the high risk of death from cardiac syncope, people who experience it and their family members must understand their disease and its treatment (especially controlling the condition through diet and medications).

• Follow the recommendations of your health care practitioner precisely.
• Take prescribed medications regularly.

Recurrent syncope: See your health care practitioner about testing to establish a diagnosis if you faint periodically. Ask your health care practitioner about driving. Many states have laws applying to people who have a history of losing consciousness.

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