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Carotid sinus is an integral part of your
internal carotid artery the main artery of head and neck region responsible for
blood circulation to your brain. A condition when the carotid sinus is
oversensitive to manual stimulation is called carotid sinus hypersensitivity or
carotid sinus syncope. Manual stimulation of the carotid sinus results in a considerable change of heart rate
and blood pressure. This condition usually afflicts the elderly male population.
The manual stimulation of carotid sinus occurs when a person
moves his head or looks upwards or wears a tight collar. In this case of
hypersensitivity the patients feel dizziness or syncope or pre-syncope. Doctors
detect carotid sinus hypersensitivity when a massage of carotid sinus sources a
pause of heart beat more than three seconds or more along with the fall of
systolic pressure to 50 mg Hg.
This problem predominantly affects the
older class of people and often helps in treating neurocardiogenic syncope or
unexplained falls. The exact mechanism of CSH is still unknown. Yet medical
science have evaluated three types of carotid sinus hypersensitivity-
1. The first one is very common which is found among 70-75%
of the patients in which the heart rate decreases considerably. It’s called
cardioinhibitory CSH.
2. The second one is found in about 5 to 10% of the
patients. This is called vasodepressor CSH where the vasomotor tone decreases
without any change of heart rate.
3. The third type of CSH is called a mixed CSH where both
vasomotor tone and heart rate changes. It’s found in about 20-25% of the
patients diagnosed with CSH.
Causes of CSH:
Some of the basic causes of CSH are hypertension, increasing
age, coronary artery diseases and dementia.
Treatment for CSH:
The treatment of CSH depends on the severity, frequency, and
symptoms of the patients. The doctors decide what treatment would be suitable
for you. It is up to the doctor to decide if medical treatment is sufficient or
surgery is required. The condition is totally treatable and in case you feel
you are afflicted with this condition then it is highly advisable to consult
your physician.
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