"I Learned Its Name After 50 Years"... The Condition Seo Jeong-hee and Lee Sang-soon Suffered From [Health Talk]

[Financial News] Television personality Seo Jeong-hee has revealed that she suffers from the same vagus nerve dysfunction as Lee Sang-soon, husband of Lee Hyori, drawing attention to this common but little-known condition.
On the 7th, Seo Jeong-hee posted a lengthy message on her social media account that began, "It took 50 years to learn its name," sharing her experience with vagus nerve dysfunction.
Vasovagal syncope can cause sudden nausea, cold sweats, blurred vision, muffled hearing, or weakness throughout the body. In severe cases, a person may lose consciousness completely.
Vasovagal syncope is one of the most common causes of fainting. When the autonomic nervous system overreacts to a particular situation, blood pressure may drop or the heart rate may slow. As a result, blood flow to the brain temporarily decreases, causing loss of consciousness. The condition itself is usually not life-threatening, but secondary injuries—such as hitting the head or suffering a fracture in a fall—can be a concern.
One characteristic of vasovagal syncope is the appearance of prodromal symptoms before loss of consciousness. These may include dizziness, nausea, cold sweats, paleness, a feeling of warmth or sudden heat, blurred or narrowed vision, muffled hearing, palpitations, yawning, and generalized weakness.
The problem is that these symptoms do not appear in exactly the same way in everyone. Some people experience prominent dizziness, while others first notice discomfort resembling indigestion or nausea. In atypical cases, a person may only feel vaguely unwell or suddenly weak. Therefore, when prodromal symptoms are not clear, it can be difficult to suspect vasovagal syncope from the outset. Conversely, people who experience it repeatedly often gradually learn to recognize their own distinctive "warning signs before fainting."
Fainting can occur more easily when stress, fatigue, and dehydration overlap. Vasovagal syncope is often triggered in specific situations, such as standing for a long time, being exposed to a hot environment, experiencing severe pain or fear, or having blood drawn or receiving an injection. Severe fatigue, lack of sleep, and ongoing psychological stress can also disrupt the balance of the autonomic nervous system. If inadequate food or fluid intake leads to dehydration and reduced blood volume, conditions become more favorable for fainting.
However, it is not accurate to simply say that "the vagus nerve weakens and causes fainting when a person experiences a lot of stress." Vasovagal syncope results from a combination of multiple triggers and an individual’s autonomic response.
One of the most important ways to respond to vasovagal syncope is to recognize one’s own prodromal symptoms. It is not advisable to remain standing and endure them while thinking, "I’ll feel better in a little while." Fainting and striking the floor or nearby structures can cause more serious injuries to the head or face.
When familiar prodromal symptoms begin, it is best to sit somewhere safe or, if possible, lie down immediately. If lying down, raising the legs can also help maintain blood flow returning to the brain. If lying down is difficult but the person remains fully conscious, physical counter-pressure maneuvers—such as crossing the legs and tensing both legs or clasping both hands and pulling them against each other—may help maintain blood pressure.
In daily life, it is important to drink enough water and avoid excessive stress and dehydration. If a person knows that certain conditions, such as standing for long periods or being in a hot environment, tend to trigger fainting, preparing in advance can also help.
However, not every fainting episode should be attributed to "the vagus nerve." Cardiac syncope caused by an arrhythmia or structural heart disease is also possible, and in some cases a more serious underlying cause may be present. Fainting during exercise; fainting accompanied by chest pain or severe palpitations; sudden collapse without clear prodromal symptoms; fainting in someone with heart disease; and episodes that recur or differ from previous ones require a thorough evaluation by a medical professional.
Shin Seung-yong, a professor of cardiology at The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul St. Mary’s Hospital’s Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Hospital, explained, "Vasovagal syncope is common and generally has a favorable prognosis. However, rather than understanding it simply as a disease caused by a weak vagus nerve, it is more accurate to understand it as a physiological phenomenon that occurs when dehydration and external stress interact with autonomic reflexes, temporarily lowering or slowing blood pressure and heart rate."
Professor Shin said, "For people who repeatedly experience unavoidable overwork, stress, or dehydration due to their jobs, as well as frequent recurrences of symptoms, it is important to remember their own prodromal symptoms. Recognizing the signals sent by the body early and immediately sitting or lying down can help prevent actual fainting or substantially reduce secondary injuries, such as falls and trauma, caused by fainting."
 
[email protected] Medical Correspondent Jeong Myeong-jin Reporter