HomeAnswersCardiologydiabetesWhat can cause sudden blank out in a diabetic patient?

What can cause sudden blank out in a diabetic patient?

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The following is an actual conversation between an iCliniq user and a doctor that has been reviewed and published as a Premium Q&A.

Medically reviewed by

Dr. K. Shobana

Published At December 11, 2015
Reviewed AtJanuary 18, 2024

Patient's Query

Hi doctor,

My father is 77 years old and a known diabetic for over six years. His height is 5'5" feet and weight is 143 pounds. This is regarding his recent angioplasty. He got it done before three months when he had a kind of seizure or fix. He was hospitalized for a week and got discharged with stable condition. One month back, again he dropped unconscious while having lunch. He remained unconscious till he reached hospital. He does not remember anything what had happen to him. In the hospital, they did CT scan, EEG, ECG and Holter monitoring. Everything was normal. The doctors are not able to find the cause for his blank out. Please advice.

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I want to assure you do not worry as everything is going to be fine if proper care and treatment is opted in for. I have thoroughly gone through your case history, reports (attachment removed to protect patient identity) and can well understand your genuine health concerns.

The Probable causes

CT scan shows no significant lesion in brain and no focal hemorrhagic bleeding event which is one of the main causes in many cases. Heart diseases can also cause unconsciousness. In such cases, we monitor indoor patients on Holter monitor for any kind of rhythmic change in heart beat and to see if there is any atrial or ventricular fibrillation. Your father did not have a positive sign there. His heart rhythms are normal. Sometimes there is an imbalance in the serum electrolytes and fluid; electrolytes imbalance may lead to unconsciousness and syncope. But, your father is fine on that too. Your father's angiography for single artery occlusive disease went eventless and normal flow to heart was restored with stent deployment. My final impression is patients with diabetes also sometimes get unconscious due to the low glucose levels in blood and due to low supply of glucose to the tissues. For example as in case of type II diabetes, they get low insulin levels that cause them to get problems with taking glucose into the tissues from blood. No need to worry as this may be anything that is not so obvious and so minor and a single event that is unable to get revealed on investigations. In such situations, usually there is no harm to the patient. Patients after angiography may sometimes get such an issue due to manipulation of the heart in angiography. But, this is not a major issue of medical concern. There is no problem with his heart and the stent is not displaced from the site which may be a source of tension for the patient. Your father is totally alright. I have scanned and observed deeply all the reports and he is fine in every respect.

Regarding follow up

For further information consult a cardiologist online.

Same symptoms don't mean you have the same problem. Consult a doctor now!

Dr. Muhammad Majid Hanif
Dr. Muhammad Majid Hanif

Cardiology

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