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Published on: March 21, 2013
[Causes of unexplained syncope in children]
Mei-Hua Kang1, Yi Xu, Cheng Wang
1Department of Cardiovascular Pediatrics, Children's Medical Center, Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, Changsha 410011, China.
Insights
Common causes of unexplained syncope in children are persistent standing, movement, and changes in body position. Avoiding these triggers can help prevent fainting episodes in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Cardiology
- Neurology
- Clinical Medicine
Context:
- Syncope, or fainting, is a common concern in pediatric populations.
- Understanding triggers is crucial for diagnosis and management of unexplained syncope.
- Previous research has explored various causes, but specific triggers in children require further investigation.
Purpose:
- To identify and analyze the common causes of unexplained syncope in children.
- To examine variations in syncope causes based on age, gender, frequency, and head-up tilt test (HUTT) results.
- To provide insights for preventing recurrent syncope episodes.
Summary:
- This study analyzed 434 children (3-17.9 years) with unexplained syncope.
- Key triggers identified include persistent standing (30%), movement (13%), and positional changes (9%).
- Gender and age influenced trigger prevalence, with persistent standing more common in females and positional changes in older children.
Impact:
- Findings highlight specific, avoidable triggers for childhood syncope.
- This information can guide clinical recommendations for prevention and management strategies.
- Improved understanding aids in reducing the incidence and impact of syncope in pediatric patients.
Objective:
To investigate the common causes of unexplained syncope in children.
Methods:
A total of 434 children with unexplained syncope who were aged from 3.0 to 17.9 years (192 males and 242 females) and who saw the doctor between January 2006 and October 2011. were examined in order to explore the detailed histories and causes of syncope and to analyze variance in causes among different ages, genders, syncope frequencies and head-up tilt test (HUTT) results.
Results:
(1) The causes of occasional syncope included persistent standing (30%), movement (13%), change in body position(9%), sitting(7%), and playing(6%). Persistent standing was more common as a cause in females than in males (P<0.01). Micturition syncope was mainly seen in males. Sultry weather was the main cause of syncope in females. Change in body position was a more common cause in the ≥12 years group than in the <12 years group (P<0.05), while other causes showed no significant differences among different age groups. Change in body position was a more common cause of syncope in children with negative HUTT results than in those with positive HUTT results (P<0.05). (2) All causes of occasional syncope can induce repeated syncope, and most repeated syncope (56%) had the same cause.
Conclusions:
The common causes of unexplained syncope include persistent standing, movement and changes of body position in children. Avoiding these causes is helpful for prevention of childhood syncope.
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