3rd November 2021

A 76-year-old gentleman presents to his GP having had a fall. The fall was spontaneous and there were no lasting symptoms following the episode

A 76-year-old gentleman presents to his GP having had a fall. The fall was spontaneous and there were no lasting symptoms following the episode. There was no loss of consciousness. Prior to the fall, he was in a seated position for roughly 2 hours and had just got up to make a cup of tea. The patient is on a large list of medications, three of which are antihypertensives. This is the third time the patient has experienced a similar type of fall. On examination, heart sounds are normal. His abdomen is soft, non-tender, he has moist mucous membranes and normal chest expansion. What feature in the history differentiates a drop attack from a syncopal faint?

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