Title: Blackouts - Symptoms, Causes, Treatments
Headings: Blackouts
Blackouts
What are blackouts?
What other symptoms might occur with blackouts?
Nervous system symptoms that may occur along with blackouts
Other symptoms that may occur along with blackouts
Serious symptoms that might indicate a life-threatening condition
What causes blackouts?
Traumatic causes of blackouts
Substance-related causes of blackouts
Disease and disorder causes of blackouts
Serious or life-threatening causes of blackouts
Questions for diagnosing the cause of blackouts
What are the potential complications of blackouts?
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Content: Change in level of consciousness or alertness, such as passing out or unresponsiveness
Change in mental status or sudden behavior change, such as confusion, delirium, lethargy, hallucinations and delusions
Chest pain or pressure
Garbled or slurred speech or inability to speak
High fever (higher than 101 degrees Fahrenheit)
Paralysis or inability to move a body part
Respiratory or breathing problems, such as shortness of breath, difficulty breathing or inability to breathe, labored breathing, wheezing, or choking
Seizure
Worst headache of your life
What causes blackouts? Blackouts may arise from a variety of conditions or events that affect the brain. Often, blackouts will result from a traumatic event or an event that involves head injury. Traumatic causes of blackouts
Blackouts may often be caused by trauma to the head or brain including: Complications of brain surgery
Concussion
Electroshock therapy
Injections and innoculations
Mild head injury
Phlebotomy (drawing a blood sample)
Traumatic emotional event
Substance-related causes of blackouts
Blackouts can also be caused by a variety of drugs and other substances including: Alcohol intoxication
Medication side effects, such as the side effects of cancer treatments or seizure medications, or agents used for anesthesia
Poisons, such as cleaning chemicals or pesticides
Recreational drug use
Disease and disorder causes of blackouts
Blackouts can be caused by different diseases and disorders including: Anemia
Brain or spinal cord injury or tumor
Cardiac arrhythmia
Dehydration (loss of fluids and electrolytes, which can be life threatening when severe and untreated)
Dementia
Depression
Encephalitis (inflammation and swelling of the brain due to a viral infection or other causes)
Epilepsy (disorder characterized by recurrent seizures)
Infections of the brain
Nutrient deficiency
Parkinson’s disease (brain disorder that impairs movement and coordination)
Postural hypotension
Vasovagal syncope
Serious or life-threatening causes of blackouts
In some cases, blackouts may be a symptom of a serious or life-threatening condition that should be evaluated immediately in an emergency setting. These include: Arrhythmias (irregular heartbeats)
Cardiomyopathy (weakened or abnormal heart muscle and function)
Epilepsy
Heart valve diseases and disorders
Myocardial infarction ( heart attack)
Seizures
Severe infection
Stroke
Traumatic injury
Questions for diagnosing the cause of blackouts
To diagnose your condition, your doctor or licensed health care practitioner will ask you several questions related to your blackouts including: Can you remember things that happened recently?