Prevalence and correlates of syncope-related traumatic injuries in tilt-induced vasovagal syncope.
BACKGROUND
Vasovagal syncope represents the most common form of syncope in the general population and is usually considered as a benign affection. However, syncope-related traumatic injuries may represent a major complication of such a condition in a relevant percentage of cases. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and clinical correlates of syncope-related trauma in a cohort of consecutive patients with recurrent vasovagal syncope.


METHODS
Three hundred and forty-six consecutive patients were studied in whom a diagnosis of vasovagal syncope was established. All subjects were interviewed with a standard questionnaire in order to collect all possible information about their clinical history and the occurrence of trauma during syncopal spells.


RESULTS
Ninety-four of the 346 patients (27.2%) reported at least one syncope-related traumatic injury. In 31/346 cases (8.9%) the severity of trauma had determined hospital admission and surgical treatment. When compared to the rest of the study population, patients with syncope-related trauma showed a higher prevalence of male gender (p < 0.01), a higher absolute number (p < 0.01) and frequency (p < 0.01) of syncopal episodes in their history. Patients with trauma also reported a shorter duration of warning symptoms preceding syncope (p < 0.01), while showing a higher prevalence of positive cardioinhibitory response to tilt table testing (p < 0.01). Moreover, the number of syncope-related injuries was found to correlate significantly with the number of syncopal spells (r = 0.64, p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Most practicing physicians consider vasovagal syncope as simply a benign affection in young people. However, such a clinical view should be partially revised, as recurrent vasovagal syncope is associated with significant trauma-related morbidity.
Ammirati
F
F
Department of Heart Diseases, S. Filippo Neri Hospital, Rome, Italy. fabamm@openaccess.it
Colivicchi
F
F
Velardi
A
A
Santini
M
M
D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012008:Recurrence; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D019462:Syncope, Vasovagal / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D015599:Trauma Severity Indices; D014947:Wounds and Injuries / Q000209:etiology*