title: [Cardiovascular causes of falls].
abstract: Falls with transitory loss of consciousness (syncopes) are mainly due to cardiovascular incidents and show a significant higher risk of injuries than falls without loss of consciousness. The frequency of syncope is increasing with advancing age. Syncope represents an important disease with epidemiologic consequences in the older age group. The broad etiologic spectrum of syncope and the significance of diagnostic methods are discussed. Five case reports are added as illustration. Medical history, clinical examination and ecg-recordings are the most important diagnostic tools in the evaluation of syncope. An in depth investigation of patients with syncope reduces the rate of recurrence and risk for injury, it increases the quality of life and results in lower medical costs.
authors.affiliation: Departement für Innere Medizin, Universitätsspital Zürich.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Maire
mesh_terms: D000058:Accidental Falls; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007024:Hypotension, Orthostatic / Q000150:complications; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D013575:Syncope / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis
vernacular_title: Kardiovaskuläre Ursachen eines Sturzes.