James Bryce
AN expat doctor is warning anyone who faints to seek urgent medical advice as it may indicate a potentially life-threatening heart condition.
Dr Sam Vladimirovic, who lives in Granada, claims fainting is a symptom of seven serious heart conditions that could result in death.
It follows two cases of children suffering sudden cardiac deaths in Andalucia, the youngest of which was a nine-year-old who dropped dead while playing football.
“Fainting is medically referred to as ‘syncope’ and it is a very important sign in an athlete, whether it occurs during or after physical activity,” Dr Vladimirovic told the Olive Press.
“No episode should ever be dismissed as ‘just a faint’. All athletes who experience fainting during or after exercise must be medically evaluated in a hospital casualty department,” added the Russian.
Witness accounts are seen as a vital part of the prognosis, with doctors requiring information about facial twitching, breathing patterns and whether a person turned pale before or after fainting.
