Transient loss of consciousness (excluding epilepsy)

Abstract 

Patients are often referred suffering from a ‘Collapse ?cause’. In some of these patients, the ‘collapse’ would have been caused by or associated with loss of consciousness. The three main and common causes of transient loss of consciousness (T-LOC) are syncope, epilepsy and non-epileptic attack disorder (NEAD). The term T-LOC excludes patients in whom the loss of consciousness is induced by trauma or is prolonged (e.g. metabolic disorders like hypoglycaemia and hyponatremia). Among the causes of T-LOC, syncope, which is a symptom with many underlying causes, is much more prevalent than either epilepsy or NEAD. This article will deal predominantly with syncope and how it can be differentiated from epilepsy and NEAD.

Keywords: blackouts, collapse, epilepsy, implantable loop recorders, psychogenic blackouts, syncope, transient loss of consciousness