You
might have come across someone fainting after receiving news, standing upright
for a long time or while in a lecture hall. Actually, scientists, in a press
release on August 6th have unraveled the reasons behind fainting. A study conducted
and published in the America Academy of Neurology medical journal has
established that fainting has a strong genetic predisposition. Fainting, also
called vasovagal syncope, is a brief loss of consciousness when your body
reacts to certain triggers, such as emotional distress or the sight of blood. “
The question of whether fainting is caused by
genetic factors, environmental factors or a mixture of both has been the
subject of debate.” Saidf study author Samuel F. Berkovic, MD,FRS, with the university
of Melbourne in Victoria, Australia, and a member of the bAmerican Academy of
Neurology.
During the study, 51 sets of twins
of the same gender between the age of nine and 69 were given a telephone
questionnaire. At least one of the twins had a history of fainting. Researchers
also gathered information about any family history of fainting. Of the 51 sets
of twins, 57 percent reported having typical fainting triggers. The research
found that among twins where one fainted, those who were identical (from the
same fertilized egg) were nearly twice as likely to both faint compared to
fraternal twins (those from two different fertilized eggs). The risk of
fainting not related to outside factors (such as dehydration) was also much
higher in identical twins compared to fraternal twins. Identical twins were
much more likely to both experience fainting associated with typical triggers
than fraternal twins. The frequency of fainting in non-twin relatives was low,
suggesting that the way fainting is inherited is usually not by a single gene. “Our results suggest that while fainting appears to have a strong genetic component, there may be multiple genes and multiple environmental factors that influence the phenomenon,” said Berkovic.
SAMWEL BORN MAINA
NAIROBI
0722451699
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