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  • 2019-07-12 (xsd:date)
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  • What Is Hair-Grooming Syncope? (en)
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  • On July 7, 2019, Facebook user Alicia Brown Phillips brought attention to a fainting disorder known as hair-grooming syncope when she shared a message concerning a scary ordeal that reportedly occurred while she was attempting to curl her little sister's hair: This Facebook post garnered ten of thousands of shares and comments within a few days of its initial posting. In addition to expressing concern for the child's health, many commentators, like Phillips herself, were surprised to learn about this condition. Syncope is the medical term for fainting. Hair-grooming syncope refers to fainting that is brought on during hair grooming activities. A 1996 study defined the condition as follows: Hair-grooming syncope is a rare and benign variety of neurocardiogenic syncope that should be considered in girls that complain of loss of consciousness during different hair care acts, even if seizures are present. A 2009 study found that while this condition occurs most frequently in females, male children can also experience hair-grooming syncope: Of the 111 patients, 78% were girls. We found characteristic difference between boys and girls with boys experiencing syncope more during hair cutting whereas girls experienced syncope more during hair combing and brushing. We weren't able to find any concrete numbers regarding how often hair-grooming syncope occurs. Knoxville's WBIR reported that doctors see a handful of cases a year, but it's possible this condition often goes undiagnosed because most parents aren't aware that the condition exists, or it may be misdiagnosed as epilepsy: While an instance of hair-grooming syncope may certainly be scary for those involved (especially if it involves a seizure), the biggest difference between this condition and other bouts of fainting is that hair-grooming syncope is specifically triggered by the brushing, combing, curling, or cutting of hair, as pediatrician Dr. Kurt Brandt observed: Syncope is basically passing out, and hair grooming is known to be a precipitant of that ... It may be the pulling of the hair, possibly pain, possibly stimulation of the scalp ... Your blood pressure goes down and you pass out. (en)
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