[Mortality and resyncope in group of 111 patients five years after syncopal attack]

Mortality and resyncope were investigated after five years in 111 patients with syncope, a prospective study conducted at the Reykjavik City Hospital 1985-1986. Twenty one (18.9%) patients have died in this interval, 90 living, 81 patients were traced and resyncope occurred among 20 (24.7%) due to the same cause in 14 of 20 patients. Four patients died in the group (11) that was originally diagnosed with CVD disease (36.4% p<0.001) compared to expected mortality corrected for age, similar results were found in the group (22) with orthostatic hypotension as the cause of syncope. In the total group 21 died versus four expected (p<0.001). This confirms previous results by other investigators that mortality is high among this group of patients. In repeated study 1988-1989 we found that near syncope was frequently cardiovascular in origin and was a cause in 28% of patients, and orthostatic hypotension 20%. A syncope or near syncope should be investigated thoroughly to arrive at a diagnosis, especially in elderly people.