THREE INTERESTING CASES OF FAINTING IN FEMALES SEEN IN MY PRACTICE

THREE INTERESTING CASES OF FAINTING IN FEMALES SEEN IN MY PRACTICE
O P Kapoor
Hon. Visiting Physician, Jaslok Hospital and Bombay Hospital, Mumbai, Ex. Hon. Prof. of Medicine, Grant Medical College and JJ Hospital, Mumbai 400 008.

The following are the three unusual causes of syncope in females which were seen by me in my private practice during the last 6 months:

Case 1
A female patient who had 4 attacks of syncope, everytime related to vomiting was extensively investigated and no other cause was found. If coughing, sneezing and the act of micturition are known to cause syncope then why not the act of vomiting? This was labelled as vomiting syncope (like cough syncope and sneezing syncope).
Case 2
This was an elderly female who because of her back problem used to pass urine while standing. She had one of the typical attacks of micturition syncope. Micturition syncope is very uncommon in females because they pass urine in sitting position.
Case 3

This middle aged woman came to me for 3-4 attacks of syncope in a period of 6 months. Everytime the attack occurred when she went to the toilet to pass urine or stool (once after passing stool). It was interesting that since all her investigations were normal, on inquiring further she came out with the history that she was using an Indian toilet not the English toilet which was also there in the house. She was therefore advised by me to use English toilet and rest on it for 2-3 minutes after passing urine or stool. Obviously these were attacks of micturition syncope.

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