title: The effect of paediatric syncope on health-related quality of life.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Syncope is common in children and adolescents and most commonly represents neurocardiogenic syncope. No information has been reported regarding the effect of syncope on health-related quality of life in children.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective cohort study of patients seen in the Heart Institute Syncope Clinic at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center between July, 2009 and June, 2010. Health-related quality of life was assessed using the PedsQL™ tool. PedsQL™ scores were compared with both healthy historical controls and historical controls with chronic illnesses.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 106 patients were included for analysis. In all, 90% were Caucasian and 63% were girls. The median age was 15.1 years (8.2-21.6). Compared with healthy controls, patients had lower PedsQL™ scores: Total score (75.2 versus 83.8, p < 0.0001); Physical Health Summary (78.8 versus 87.5, p < 0.0001); Psychosocial Health Summary (73.9 versus 81.9, p < 0.001), Emotional Functioning (68.9 versus 79.3, p < 0.001); and School Functioning (66.4 versus 81.1, p < 0.001). No difference was seen in Social Functioning (86.2 versus 85.2, p = 0.81). Patients also had lower PedsQL™ Total scores than patients with diabetes mellitus (p < 0.0001) and similar scores to patients with asthma, end-stage renal disease, obesity, and structural heart disease.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Children with syncope, although typically benign in aetiology, can have low health-related quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Ohio, United States of America. jeffrey.anderson@cchmc.org
authors.forename: Jeffrey B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Anderson
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Czosek
authors.forename: Timothy K
authors.initials: TK
authors.lastname: Knilans
authors.forename: Bradley S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Marino
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011788:Quality of Life; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013575:Syncope / Q000523:psychology*; D013997:Time Factors; D055815:Young Adult