Abstract
Consciousness is defined as the ability to maintain awareness of self and of the environment. Unconsciousness is a condition in which this ability is lost and there is a marked reduced responsiveness to environmental stimuli (Adams et al. Principles of neurology, 6th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York, 1997, pp 344–345). Loss of consciousness (LOC) can last briefly and resolve with no clinical intervention, be prolonged until a specific cause is treated and then be followed by a complete recovery or neurological symptoms, or sustain indefinitely.
The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence defines transient loss of consciousness (T-LOC) as a brief and spontaneous loss of consciousness with complete recovery (Cooper et al., Ann Intern Med 155:543–549, 2001).
The purpose of this chapter is to describe briefly the causes of transient loss of consciousness and then more thoroughly the possible aetiologies of syncope.
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Furlan, L., Costantino, G., Solbiati, M., Alboni, P. (2015). Definition and Classification of Transient Loss of Consciousness. In: Alboni, P., Furlan, R. (eds) Vasovagal Syncope. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-09102-0_3
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