Syncope

transient loss of consciousness and postural tone

Syncope is the medical term for fainting or blacking out. It is a sudden loss of consciousness, usually for a short time. It is mostly because there is not enough oxygen in the brain. It can be for other reasons.

Syncope (medicine)
ICD-10R55.
ICD-9780.2
DiseasesDB27303
eMedicinemed/3385  ped/2188 emerg/876
MeSHD013575

Fainting is quite common. It usually happens in two age ranges: the teenage years, and during older age. The chance of a person fainting at least once in a lifetime is about 40 to 50 percent. Syncope causes 1 to 3 percent of all attendances to emergency departments and 1 to 6 percent of all hospital admissions.[1][2]

References