>Hi everyone. My Dad is in the latter stages of PD. Today he was
>hospitalized, having had
>two fainting spells. My mother noticed he was " staring" which lasted for
>around a minute or so.
>He has no recollection of the time when he was "out". Have any of you any
>experience with
>this type of occurance? This is the first time this has happened. Are
>seizures a part of PD?
>Thanks, Jackie
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> "Tomorrow is the Future,
> Yesterday is the Past, =20
> Today is a Gift
> - That's why we call it the "Present"!
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> -Jacklyn - N.B. - Canada-=20
> =20
Reply from Steven E. Mayer ([log in to unmask])
Fainting spells in an advanced PD patient. First thing is to find out what
is meant by "fainting spells". About 10% of patients with PD develop
"Shy-Drager" syndrome (SD) in which the most prominent symptoms are sporadic
and precipitous drops in arterial blood pressure, in turn, syncope occurs,
especially on rising from a lying to a sitting to a standing position. This
can result in lethal cardiac failure with the brain becoming irreversibly
ischemic.
Treatment must be immediate in the form of cardiopulmonary rescue
(if indicated) and the skillful use of a vasopressor drug. There are many
available. A careful choice must be made by a physician skilled in vascular
and endocrine diseases. Yohimbine was the one chosen for me. When I begin to
feel the symptoms I pop a pill containing 1-2 mg yohimbine into my mouth,
disolve it with my tongue and swallow and try to find a comfortable place to
sit or fall down (such as the barroom floor). You can scare the hell out of
people, if they have not been forwarned. Restaurant personnel must keep
their heads.
However, fainting spells may have nothing to do with PD but result
from cardiac failure (e.g a coronary thrombus or congestive failure, it can
represent epileptic seizures (partial with or without generalized seizures
or the manifestations of a variety of other diseases that affect the brain,
heart, vascuar or endocrine system.
I am neither a cardiologist nor a neurologist and am not conversant
with al the possiblities and treatments. The fainting spell may have been
simple and relatively benign or otherwise.
I hope all goes well, Steven.
>
