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Epidemiology: Difference between revisions
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Studies in young populations show a strikingly high incidence of syncope. Two recent surveys of the frequency of syncope in medical students demonstrated that ''20-25% of males and 40-50% of females'' report to have experienced at least one such episode <cite>Ganzeboom</cite>,<cite>Serletis</cite>. The majority of the syncope triggers identified in these students involved stresses or conditions that affect orthostatic blood pressure control. Neurally mediated syncope was therefore a likely cause of the symptoms in these young subjects. The incidence peak of presumed neurally mediated syncope around the age of 15 years and the much higher incidence in young females is a consistent finding (fig. 1)<cite>Ganzeboom</cite>,<cite>Colman</cite>,<cite>Ganzeboom2006</cite>,<cite>Serletis</cite>,<cite>Sheldon</cite>. A family history of presumed neurally mediated syncope in the first degree relatives is often present in young fainting subjects <cite>Mathias</cite>,<cite>Serletis</cite>. | Studies in young populations show a strikingly high incidence of syncope. Two recent surveys of the frequency of syncope in medical students demonstrated that ''20-25% of males and 40-50% of females'' report to have experienced at least one such episode <cite>Ganzeboom</cite>,<cite>Serletis</cite>. The majority of the syncope triggers identified in these students involved stresses or conditions that affect orthostatic blood pressure control. Neurally mediated syncope was therefore a likely cause of the symptoms in these young subjects. The incidence peak of presumed neurally mediated syncope around the age of 15 years and the much higher incidence in young females is a consistent finding (fig. 1)<cite>Ganzeboom</cite>,<cite>Colman</cite>,<cite>Ganzeboom2006</cite>,<cite>Serletis</cite>,<cite>Sheldon</cite>. A family history of presumed neurally mediated syncope in the first degree relatives is often present in young fainting subjects <cite>Mathias</cite>,<cite>Serletis</cite>. | ||
''Compared to the 30% incidence of presumed neurally mediated syncope in young medical students'', the prevalence of epileptic seizures in a similar young age group is much lower (less than 1%) (Wallace et al., 1998) and syncope resulting from cardiac arrhythmias or structural heart disease, i.e. cardiac syncope, is even less common | ''Compared to the 30% incidence of presumed neurally mediated syncope in young medical students'', the prevalence of epileptic seizures in a similar young age group is much lower (less than 1%) (Wallace et al., 1998) and syncope resulting from cardiac arrhythmias or structural heart disease, i.e. cardiac syncope, is even less common <cite>Colman</cite>. | ||
==Influence of age== | ==Influence of age== | ||