my daughter (10 years) passed out this morning in the bathroom. it has
happened once before (last year). the black out lasts approx. 2
seconds. followed by headache, nausea and vomiting. after vomiting she
feels better. she has vomited 4 times in the last hour. no fever. she
is calm. resting. tired. question: could this be
very serious? what should we watch out for?

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Request for Question Clarification by journalist-ga on 14 Mar 2003 09:06 PST

Dear Ivhsvs:

I highly recommend that you take your daughter to a licensed physician
for some basic tests and explain her black-outs to him.  Although I
could speculate on various causes for this, I feel the best "answer" I
can give is to urge you to take her for tests.

Your daughter's black-outs could be caused by a migraine condition, a
petit mal seizure, anxiety, hormonal changes, etc. - there are many
different reasons this could be happening and black-outs, for any
reason, can portend a more serious condition that should be determined
by a medical professional.

Do not submit to worry, just make the physician's appointment and
monitor her closely until she is able to see the doctor.  A physician
has a wide knowledge base and will take into account her age and the
frequency of the occurrences in his testing and diagnosis.

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 14 Mar 2003 09:37 PST

It could also be a reaction to something she's eating.  And I agree
with journalist -- you need to take her to get a check up.

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Request for Question Clarification by journalist-ga on 14 Mar 2003 10:41 PST

I, too, though of food allergy.  It could any number of things and I
hope you seek the advice of a licensed physician.

Hi Ivhsvs,

Whenever a child experiences a sudden illness, especially loss of
consciousness, it is important to seek medical advice as soon as
possible.  It is possible that her fainting spells are caused by
something as simple as dehydration, but the fact that they are
accompanied by nausea and vomiting could indicate a more serious
cause.  Your pediatrician will be able to perform a few tests
(including possibly a "tilt-table test") to determine possible causes
for her fainting.

I went to MEDLINEplus, the consumer health resource from the National
Library of Medicine, to find some information for you.  I think the
following quotation from the Mayo Clinic sums up the feelings of us
Researchers about your case:

"Fainting occurs when the blood supply to your brain is momentarily
inadequate, causing you to lose consciousness. Loss of consciousness
is usually brief.
Fainting can have no medical significance, or it can be caused by a
serious disorder. Therefore, treat loss of consciousness as a medical
emergency until the symptoms are relieved and the cause is known."

I would suggest that, after you schedule an appointment with your
doctor, you take a look at some of the resources available in the
health topic for "Fainting" (or syncope, as it is called technically)
in MEDLINEplus: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/fainting.html.

I think you will also find the encyclopedia article in MEDLINEplus
helpful: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003092.htm.

Again, please heed the warning of the Mayo Clinic and other resources
given above, and treat this as a medical emergency.  Call your
daughter's pediatrician, the local pediatric clinic, or even the
emergency room to get help.

Best of luck, please don't hesitate to clarify if you need more
information.

librariankt