A fainting child

September 25, 2013 12:10 PM

Why did my 5-year-old faint during class, and how worried should I be?

My little girl recently started 5K, and loves it. However, today we got a call that she fainted in class. My wife is taking her to the doctor as we speak, so the official medical answers will be forthcoming in a while, but I'm pretty freaked out. I've already read several articles about what causes fainting in children (dehydration being the biggest culprit, and she did throw up at school, so I could see a virus being behind it), so I know it's probably not anything serious...but I could really use the comfort of anecdotal evidence from parents who have had it happen. Has your child fainted? Did there turn out to be any cause? Dehydration, virus, other? Did it happen just the once, or keep happening?

posted by mittens to Health & Fitness (21 answers total)

All three of my kids did this in kindergarten/preschool. The two elder only did it once, and the youngest did it twice. All four times were in September, and the teachers calmly informed us that at least one kid does this every year because KINDERGARTEN IS SO AMAZING OH MY GOD THERE'S SO MANY CRAYONS AND LOOK THERE'S A NEW KID AND AHHH THERE'S A SLIDE AND WHOMP.

None of them suffered any lingering aftereffects. The doctor told us to make sure they drink enough water and call if it happened again, and when it happened again, the doctor told us to make sure they drink enough water and really call if it happened again, and it hasn't happened again.
posted by Etrigan at 12:15 PM on September 25, 2013 [13 favorites]

I fainted twice as a child, both times I was feeling pretty crummy (stomach bug for one, I think influenza for the other.) Both were likely related to dehydration. I've come close a few times as an adult for similarly-explainable reasons. My husband has fainting or near-fainting spells once every year or so, though his are usually more related to blood sugar crashes or trying to take care of his own minor first aid and the accompanying blood.

There are plenty of serious reasons for fainting but in the vast, vast majority of cases, the causes are temporary and non-serious.
posted by tchemgrrl at 12:25 PM on September 25, 2013 [2 favorites]

I remember a couple instances of dizziness when I was a kid - they never went into full-on fainting. But they were always something really minor, like "it was too hot" or "I was coming down with some kind of virus" or something like that. They were both fluke things that were just a no-big-deal.

The most fainting-prone person I knew was a childhood friend who usually had a couple of instances of fainting a year (including once during a high school biology class, while the teacher was discussing the symptoms of epilepsy - which made him completely freak out), and in that instance her doctor finally found out that it was due to her just being a little less likely to break a sweat, which made her a little more likely to overheating - and all she had to do was stay hydrated and cool. She switched to cotton clothing and drank more water and it was all fine.

Outside of that, all the fainting instances I've ever heard of have been one-off easily-fixed things.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 12:41 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

I was a frequent fainter as a kid. I tended to forget to eat meals, and a combination of low blood sugar and any sort of exertion would knock me right over at the most inopportune times.

I came out fine. For some value of fine.
posted by ook at 12:42 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]

I used to faint frequently when I was little - turns out I was hypoglycemic. The long stretches between meals weren't working, so I often had trail mix in my backpack.
posted by sleepykitties at 12:45 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

I've never full-on fainted, but I can come pretty close if I'm not being careful. It's because of having very low blood pressure and standing up too fast.
posted by cairdeas at 12:47 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

I fainted a bunch of times as a kid, no idea why, it stopped when I was a teenager. Looking back, it was probably heat and dehydration. I think it's sort of common.
posted by 5_13_23_42_69_666 at 1:06 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

I was also a frequent fainter, and still sort of am though I've learned my personal triggers ( low blood sugar, extreme heat or cold, other stuff) and can work through it.

My doctor said some people are just more prone to vasovagal syncope, where your vagus nerve just shuts the whole thing down based on some trigger.

This may totally not be the issue with your kid. You should find out the issue with your kid. But yea for me it's not a sign of anything unhealthy.
posted by sweetkid at 1:07 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

Another possible cause for anyone fainting is a stuffy room with little air circulation.
posted by Cranberry at 1:33 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Guys, this has been enormously comforting. I appreciate it so much. She has seen the doc, he says it's a random vasovagal spell possibly related to dehydration and getting up too quickly (she fainted in the classroom getting in line to come home), and all cardio and neurologic tests look fine. Your answers kept me from worrying while we waited for his opinion, and I can't thank you enough!
posted by mittens at 1:52 PM on September 25, 2013 [12 favorites]

she fainted in the classroom getting in line to come home

Depending how whether she'd just gotten up or if she was standing for a few minutes, you may have to teach her not to lock her knees. Locked-knee fainting is he bane of marching bands, graduation ceremonies, and wedding ceremonies the world 'round.
posted by Lyn Never at 2:03 PM on September 25, 2013 [5 favorites]

Depending how whether she'd just gotten up or if she was standing for a few minutes, you may have to teach her not to lock her knees. Locked-knee fainting is he bane of marching bands, graduation ceremonies, and wedding ceremonies the world 'round.

The only time I've fainted it was after standing up too quickly; I'm not sure if it's the same thing, but I stood up, heard some ringing in my ears, felt queasy, took a few steps, and promptly fell on my face (without breaking my fall!), busting open my chin. The ER doc said it was due to a sudden drop in blood pressure*.

*Even under extreme duress I have eerily perfect blood pressure, so if that's what happened just know that a single event is not an indication of any kind of BP issues.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:21 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

My younger son fainted in 1st grade while standing in line at the playground. After thoroughly checking him out, the drs said it was probably because he locked his knees up while standing and he was dehydrated.

I wouldn't worry about it unless it becomes a habit. And even then... some people are fainters. My mom is a fainter. She faints all the time... after a while you learn to lie down when you feel woozy.
posted by LittleMy at 2:23 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

My husband passed out in kindergarten from locking his knees.
posted by Safiya at 2:35 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

I fainted sometimes as a kid; hyperventilating due to heat was always the culprit. I learned to tell when a spell was coming on by the fact that I started yawning a whole lot, then got dizzy, then wanted to lie down, then I'd pass out.

So if I sat down when the yawning/dizzy started, put my head between my knees, and drank lots of water/cooled off, it would fend it off.

I don't know if I believe in "locked knees" my dad told me that was why, but it would happen when my knees were definitely not "locked". I think it's more that people standing straight and still for long periods of time are more prone to get heat exhaustion/low blood sugar than anyone else.
posted by emjaybee at 2:36 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

My son, around the age of 4-5, would sometimes trigger a vasovagal spell from coughing up phlegm during a cold or afterwards. Sometimes a throw-up or gag motion would bring it on as well. Just a data point to say dehydration isn't always the root cause.
posted by JoeZydeco at 2:40 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

As long as your kidlet's doctor has ruled out cardiovascular and neurological problems, it seems like the only thing to be concerned about is making sure your daughter is taught some basic safety and body-awareness tips in case she has a similar episode in the future.

Someone on here already mentioned the "don't lock your knees" thing; I'd add to that to make sure she knows what the warning signs are of an impending faint. E.g., getting hot/sweaty out of nowhere, feeling dizzy or unsteady, suddenly having her hearing go quieter, experiencing "tunnel vision" or colored splotches/sparkles, feeling generally ill or stomach-achy, etc.

Realizing you're experiencing something like this can give you time to sit or lie down (which in turn can often abort the process that if unchecked would lead to TLOC). It's pretty rare for a true vasovagal episode to result in totally random collapsing with no warning at all; that sort of thing more often points to a need for a more extensive cardiac workup.

I'm not saying that this is guaranteed to happen again (nobody can predict that with certainty, much less strangers on the internet), but if it were my kid I'd definitely feel better knowing she had some knowledge tools in place to reduce the risk of fall injuries just in case.

[And FWIW, I'm not a parent, just a medical-stuff-geek who's had a handful of vasovagal spells myself (once due to overheating when I had a virus, a couple times due to blood/injury reactions, etc.). Pretty scary/unpleasant thing to experience even as an adult, and a good thing to be prepared for if you know you have any tendencies in that direction!]
posted by aecorwin at 3:44 PM on September 25, 2013 [2 favorites]

I fainted a couple times between roughly 10 and 12 years old, and once in college for good measure. It was never medically significant. Instead, it had to do with standing up too long in warm weather. Presumably the "locked knees" thing referenced above.
posted by kestrel251 at 7:23 PM on September 25, 2013

This seems resolved, but in case it comes up again: I'm a fainter! I fainted a few times as a child and, super embarrassingly, a couple of times as an adult. It was never a symptom of anything huge; it actually usually happens when I have a mild ear infection or was worn out and a little sick.

As aecorwin mentioned, what really helped me was realizing how I felt right before I fainted and immediately taking action to prevent it (I have laid down on some nasty floors, because it's either I lay down or I am going down hard!). I also tend to tell people I'll be around a lot (like co-workers or friends) "hey guys, I'm a fainter! It's wacky! Here's how I prevent it! Don't freak out if it happens!" I'm pretty casual about it, and it's never been an issue.
posted by itsamermaid at 8:09 PM on September 25, 2013 [3 favorites]

Make sure she's eating her lunch. My daughter just started kindergarten too and has trouble managing to eat. Either she talks the whole time or she waits for her food to cool off until lunch is over. She made me put a note in her lunchbox when she brings her lunch to remind her to eat her sandwich first. She can't read...
posted by artychoke at 9:06 PM on September 25, 2013 [1 favorite]

You people are amateurs. I have fainted at least thirty times since age six, nineteen years ago. I faint because of low blood pressure. I faint when it's hot. I faint due to hypoglycemia. I faint when I think about blood. Now I'm so good at it, I can do it without people noticing. Even if this becomes an ongoing phenomenon for your kid, it will be okay. The biggest problems to avoid are head injuries, embarrassment, and potentially hazardous locations (under running water! near dangerous animals! I am like a fainting superhero).
posted by Comet Bug at 12:49 AM on September 26, 2013 [2 favorites]