title: Carotid sinus hypersensitivity and syncope.
abstract: The patient with a hypersensitive carotid sinus reflex and syncope may pose special challenges in evaluation and treatment. Specifically, although the finding of carotid sinus hypersensitivity may indeed indicate an exaggerated vagal tone that causes syncope, it may also be a chance association in a patient with syncope due to another cause. Careful clinical and electrophysiologic testing may be needed to distinguish these two possibilities. Furthermore, the need for drug therapy or cardiac pacing (or both) must be determined on an individual basis, depending on the relative contributions of cardioinhibitory and vasodepressor components to the patient's symptoms and also on the degree of patient limitation.
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001283:Atrioventricular Node / Q000503:physiopathology; D002304:Cardiac Pacing, Artificial; D002346:Carotid Sinus / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004594:Electrophysiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000627:therapeutic use; D011413:Propantheline / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012849:Sinoatrial Node / Q000503:physiopathology; D013575:Syncope / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000628:therapy*
chemical_list: D011413:Propantheline; D005996:Nitroglycerin