A condition in which a person suddenly falls down, though he or she is not unconscious, caused by sudden weakness of the spine.
A type of seizure that causes a sudden fall. This type of seizure may occur in a severe form of epilepsy called Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. People who experience drop attack have a momentary loss of muscle tone that causes them to collapse to the ground.
A brief episode affecting the nervous system that causes the person to fall suddenly. There is no loss of consciousness. The loss of tone in the muscles, responsible for the fall, may persist for several hours; in such cases moving the patient or applying pressure to the soles of the feet may restore muscle tone. In most cases, however, recovery is immediate. The cause is probably a temporary interference with the blood supply to the brain. In others there may be some disturbance of the vestibular apparatus which controls the balance of the body.
Inability to dorsiflex (lift upwards) the foot at the ankle. The foot hangs down and has to be swung clear of the ground while walking. It is caused by damage to the lateral popliteal nerve or the peroneal muscles.
A sudden fall with loss of muscular tone and loss of consciousness. Drop attacks may occur in patients with arrhythmias, autonomic failure, epilepsy, narcolepsy, strokes, and other diseases and conditions. Treatment depends on the underlying cause.
A sudden disruption that impacts the nervous system, leading an individual to unexpectedly collapse, characterizes this condition. It differs from fainting in that the person may retain consciousness, but they might get injured from the sudden fall. This situation primarily impacts elderly women.
The exact origins of this condition remain unclear, but it may be related to transient ischemic attacks (TIA), where the brainstem’s nerve centers experience decreased blood flow. Elderly men might experience such sudden falls during urination or standing, potentially due to low blood pressure or a sudden change in heart rhythm. The term ‘drop attacks’ is also sometimes used to describe akinetic seizures, an uncommon type of epilepsy where the individual collapses without experiencing muscle spasms.
There’s currently no specific treatment for drop attacks experienced by the elderly. However, akinetic seizures, often associated with such falls, generally show a positive response to anticonvulsant medications.