title: Syncope in dilated cardiomyopathy is a predictor of sudden cardiac death.
abstract: Fifty percent of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy die within 5 years of diagnosis. Syncope is known to be a predictor of poor outcome in patients with advanced heart failure. To assess the risk of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy with a history of syncope during standard medical treatment we compared this group to similar patients without syncope. Twenty-three patients with angiographically proven dilated cardiomyopathy and syncope were followed prospectively and compared to 201 patients without history of syncope. All patients showed a left-ventricular ejection fraction of less than 45%. Both groups did not differ in left-ventricular ejection fraction at baseline (30 +/- 7% in the syncope group, 30 +/- 8% in the no syncope group). Mean follow-up was 2.6 years in the syncope group and 2.4 years in the no syncope group. At baseline, syncope patients used more often amiodarone (p < 0.04), while there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding the intake of digitalis, diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Twenty-six percent of patients in the syncope group and 20% in the no syncope group died during follow-up (non significant). The striking difference, however, was the type of death: 5 out of 6 patients in the syncope group died suddenly compared to 13 of 41 patients in the no syncope group (p < 0.025). Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and a history of syncope are at high risk of sudden death.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Karl-Franzens University, Graz, Austria.
authors.forename: F M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Fruhwald
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Eber
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schumacher
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Zweiker
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Watzinger
authors.forename: W W
authors.initials: WW
authors.lastname: Klein
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000638:Amiodarone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013318:Stroke Volume; D013575:Syncope / Q000209:etiology*; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left
chemical_list: D000889:Anti-Arrhythmia Agents; D000638:Amiodarone