Hair-grooming syncope (also known as hair-combing syncope) is a form of syncope (a fainting disorder) associated with combing and brushing one's hair. It is most typically seen in children aged five to sixteen.
Hair-grooming syncope typically manifests as presyncopal symptoms during hair combing, brushing, braiding, trimming, curling or blow drying. [1] [2] These symptoms are followed by loss of consciousness and sometimes convulsions. [2] Migraines, abdominal pain, "feeling funny" or blurred vision may also occur before or after seizures. [1] [3] Possible causes of the condition include pain or nerve stimulation on the scalp (similar to parade-ground syncope), or compression of blood vessels or nerves resulting from neck flexion or extension. [2] A 2009 study identified 111 pediatric cases of hair-grooming syncope in the United States, almost three-quarters of which were in female patients; that study found that the condition is most associated with hair cutting in males and brushing in females. [4]
Hair-grooming syncope may be misdiagnosed as epilepsy, but is better described as a "paroxysmal non-epileptic event". [1] It may also be related to orthostatic hypotension. [3] The condition is not associated with heart abnormalities. [5]