Drop attack

A Drop attack is defined as a sudden fall without loss of consciousness. Drop attacks stem from diverse mechanisms including leg weakness and knee instability but have also been attributed to transient vertebrobasilar insufficiency, epilepsy and unstable vestibular function among other reasons. Those afflicted typically experience abrupt leg weakness, sometimes after sudden movement of the head. The weakness may persist for hours. The term drop attack is used to categorize otherwise unexplained falls encompassing a wide variety of etiology and is considered ambiguous medical terminology. Drop attacks are currently reported much less often than in the past, possibly as a result of better diagnostic precision. In neurology, the term drop attack is used to describe certain types of seizure which occur in epilepsy. Drop attacks that have a vestibular origin within the inner ear may be experienced by some people in the later stages of Ménière’s disease (these may be referred to as Tumarkin [drop] attacks, or as Tumarkin's otolithic crisis).