Syncope in Children and Adolescents
Key result
Medically attended syncope incidence rises ~75% from 1950 to 1991, with normal long-term survival.
Why the study?
Syncope is common in children and adolescents, but the mid- and long-term outcomes of these patients, as well as changes over time in its evaluation and associated charges, were unknown.
Population
Children and adolescents seeking medical attention for syncope during 1950 to 1954 and 1987 to 1991
Comparison
Early 5-year cohort (1950 to 1954) vs more recent 5-year cohort (1987 to 1991)
Design
Population-based cohort study utilizing the Rochester Epidemiology Project
Authors
Discussion
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Implication
Syncope in children and adolescents is generally benign with normal long-term survival, but exertional syncope warrants detailed evaluation to identify potentially fatal conditions like prolonged QT syndrome.
Key Points
- This study aims to define the incidence of syncope among children and adolescents and to evaluate its outcomes and changes over time in medical evaluation.
- Utilized the Rochester Epidemiology Project for data collection.
- Defined incidence and outcomes for syncope in two separate 5-year periods (1950-1954 and 1987-1991).
- Analyzed medical evaluation charges for these time periods.
- Incidence of syncope was 71.9 and 125.8 per 100,000 for the early and recent cohorts, respectively.
- Twenty-four percent of episodes were associated with acute illness; 23% with noxious stimuli.
- Charges for testing procedures increased in the recent cohort, although overall evaluation charges remained similar.
Study Design
Type
Observational
Structured PICO
P
Population
Children and adolescents evaluated for syncope during two 5-year periods (1950-1954 and 1987-1991) to determine incidence, outcomes, and evaluation charges.
O
Outcome
Incidence of syncope coming to medical attention, long-term outcome (survival), and charges for medical evaluation.
Main Result
Absolute Event Rate: 125.8% vs 71.9%
Syncope in children and adolescents is generally benign with normal long-term survival, but exertional syncope warrants detailed evaluation to identify potentially fatal conditions like prolonged QT syndrome.
Cite This Study
Driscoll et al. (1997) conducted an observational in Syncope. Recent time period (1987-1991) vs. Early time period (1950-1954) was evaluated on Incidence of syncope coming to medical attention per 100,000 population. The incidence of syncope coming to medical attention increased from 71.9 per 100,000 in 1950-1954 to 125.8 per 100,000 in 1987-1991, with long-term survival similar to the general population.