TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2001//
TI  - Prevalence and correlates of syncope-related traumatic injuries in tilt-induced vasovagal syncope
JO  - Italian heart journal
A1  - Ammirati, F.
A1  - Colivicchi, F.
A1  - Velardi, A.
A1  - Santini, M.
SP  - 38
EP  - 41
VL  - 2
IS  - 1
N2  - BACKGROUND: Vasovagal syncope represents the most common form of syncope in the general population and is usually considered as a benign affection. However, syncope-related traumatic injuries may represent a major complication of such a condition in a relevant percentage of cases. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and clinical correlates of syncope-related trauma in a cohort of consecutive patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope. METHODS: Three hundred and forty-six consecutive patients were studied in whom a diagnosis of vasovagal syncope was established. All subjects were interviewed with a standard questionnaire in order to collect all possible information about their clinical history and the occurrence of trauma during syncopal spells. RESULTS: Ninety-four of the 346 patients (27.2%) reported at least one syncope-related traumatic injury. In 31/346 cases (8.9%) the severity of trauma had determined hospital admission and surgical treatment. When compared to the rest of the study population, patients with syncope-related trauma showed a higher prevalence of male gender (p < 0.01), a higher absolute number (p < 0.01) and frequency (p < 0.01) of syncopal episodes in their history. Patients with trauma also reported a shorter duration of warning symptoms preceding syncope (p < 0.01), while showing a higher prevalence of positive cardioinhibitory response to tilt table testing (p < 0.01). Moreover, the number of syncope-related injuries was found to correlate significantly with the number of syncopal spells (r = 0.64, p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Most practicing physicians consider vasovagal syncope as simply a benign affection in young people. However, such a clinical view should be partially revised, as recurrent vasovagal syncope is associated with significant trauma-related morbidity.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 1129-471X
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/
ID  - ref1
ER  -