Heat syncope | |
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A Boy Scout at the 1948 Olympic Games faints in the intense heat | |
Specialty | Emergency medicine |
Heat syncope is fainting or dizziness as a result of overheating (syncope is the medical term for fainting). It is a type of heat illness. The basic symptom of heat syncope is fainting, with or without mental confusion.[1] Heat syncope is caused by peripheral vessel dilation, resulting in diminished blood flow to the brain and dehydration.