Drop attack

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Farman Khan, MD, MRCP [2]

Overview

Drop attacks are sudden spontaneous falls while standing or walking, followed by a very swift recovery, within seconds or minutes. Drop attacks are typically seen in elderly patients, and the most common cause is carotid sinus hypersensitivity, resulting in either short periods of reversible asystole, or in marked drop in blood pressure in response to carotid sinus stimulation.

Causes

Causes of drop attacks include:

1. Vascular - transient ischemic attack, cerebrovascular accident, dissection, occlusion, hemorrhage
   • Intracranial hemorrhage
   • Posterior circulation infarction, emboli, vasospasm
   • Bilateral anterior circulation occlusion
   • Migraine - develops over 1 hour, with associated paresthesia, Hypertonia arterialis
   • Basilar artery insufficiency - older patient with no loss of consciousness, transient loss of LE tone
2. Epilepsy/paroxysmal
   • Neurally mediated syncope - 75% of all causes
   • Myoclonic seizure, astatic seizure, or petit mal syndrome
   • Lennox Gaustaut - atonic, myoclonic, GTC typically in neuro abnormal pt
   • Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy - fall with myoclonus
   • Laugh or cough triggered epilepsy
   • Cataplexy associated with narcolepsy
   • Periodic paralysis
   • Complex partial seizure
   • Breatholding spells - associate pallor/cyanosis, emotional aspect
   • Pure autonomic failure (Riley Day, long standing DM)
   • Episodic ataxia
   • Panayiotopoulos syndrome
3. Degenerative
   • Postural instability with Parkinsons
4. Structural
   • Chronic odontoid instability
   • Spinal cord trauma with transient paraplegia
   • Brainstem mass
5. metabolic
   • Hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, Hypomagnesemia
   • Toxins, drugs - cocaine, sedatives, antihistamine, TCA
6. Cardiac
   • Prolonged QT, tachycardia, bradycardia, sick sinus syndrome, arhythmia, IHSS. AS
   • Hypovolemia
7. Psychologic
   • Malingering, conversion, panic, anxiety

Common Causes

• Seizure
• Transient ischemic attack
• Cerebrovascular accident
• Basilar artery insufficiency
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypotension
• Cataplexy associated with narcolepsy
• Cardiac arrhythmia
• Sick sinus syndrome
• Migraine
• Aortic stenosis
• Conversion disorder

Causes by Organ System

Cardiovascular	Cardiac arrest, bradycardia, prolonged QT, sick sinus syndrome, Stokes-Adams attacks, tachycardia, ventricular tachycardia, aortic stenosis
Chemical / poisoning	No underlying causes
Dermatologic	No underlying causes
Drug Side Effect	Sedatives, antihistamine, tricyclic antidepressants
Ear Nose Throat	No underlying causes
Endocrine	Hypoglycemia
Environmental	No underlying causes
Gastroenterologic	No underlying causes
Genetic	No underlying causes
Hematologic	No underlying causes
Iatrogenic	No underlying causes
Infectious Disease	No underlying causes
Musculoskeletal / Ortho	No underlying causes
Neurologic	Astatic seizure , Episodic ataxia , Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy , Migraine , Myoclonic seizure , Panayiotopoulos syndrome Parkinsons , Pure autonomic failure , Seizure , Verterbrobasilar artery insufficiency , Paraplegia, Brain stem mass
Nutritional / Metabolic	Hypoglycemia, hypocalcemia, hypomagnesemia
Obstetric/Gynecologic	No underlying causes
Oncologic	No underlying causes
Opthalmologic	No underlying causes
Overdose / Toxicity	Cocaine
Psychiatric	Malingering, conversion, panic attack, anxiety
Pulmonary	Sleep apnea
Renal / Electrolyte	No underlying causes
Rheum / Immune / Allergy	No underlying causes
Sexual	No underlying causes
Trauma	No underlying causes
Urologic	No underlying causes
Dental	No underlying causes
Miscellaneous	No underlying causes

Causes in alphabetical order

• Anaphylaxis
• Antihistamines
• Aortic stenosis
• Astatic seizure
• Bradycardia
• Brain stem mass
• Breath holding spells
• Cardiac arrest
• Cardiac syncope
• Cardiac tamponade
• Cocaine
• Conversion disorders
• Episodic ataxia
• Gout
• Hypocalcemia
• Hypoglycemia
• Hypokalemic periodic paralysis
• Hypomagnesemia
• Juvenile myoclonic epilepsy
• Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome - drop attacks
• Malingering
• Migraine
• Myoclonic seizure
• Panayiotopoulos syndrome
• Parkinsons disease
• Paraplegia
• Panic attack
• Panic disorder
• Prolonged QT
• Pure autonomic failure
• Sedatives
• Seizures
• Sick sinus syndrome
• Sleep apnea
• Spinal cord trauma
• Stokes-Adams attacks
• Superior canal dehiscence syndrome
• Tachycardia
• Trypanophobia
• Ventricular tachcardia
• Verterbrobasilar artery insufficiency

Diagnosis

• important if there was an inciting event (NMS, breatholding, postural), any LOC, and presence of postictal pd
• initially get glucose, EKG, pregnancy test, Utox, CT head, lytes
• later consider EEG, echocardiogram, MRI, tilt test