Syncope in childhood
Open accessAbstract
Syncope in childhood is very common. The vast majority of episodes are benign, and are due to neurocardiogenic syncope. Only a minority are due to something potentially more serious or life threatening. The diagnosis and differentiation of benign from more serious causes of syncope is made primarily by the history. Investigations are often unfruitful. The mainstay of management in neurocardiogenic syncope is reassurance. An increase in dietary fluid and salt can be helpful. Drug treatment is reserved for those with more frequent and severe attacks. Cardiac pacemakers should be reserved for those with very severe symptoms who are refractory to drug therapy.
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By 18 years of age, an estimated 30% to 50% of children experience at least 1 fainting episode.
“By 18 years of age, it is estimated that 30% to 50% of children experience at least 1 fainting episode, and syncope accounts for 3% of all pediatric ED visits (617–622).”
From 2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope (2017) · cites this paper as [619]
The opening passage says syncope in childhood is very common, supporting the broad point that children often faint. It does not give an estimate of 30%–50% having fainted by age 18; the approximately 50% figure in TILT TESTING concerns positive test results in children with a history of neurally mediated syncope, not lifetime prevalence. (LLM, conf=0.83)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredSyncope accounts for 3% of all pediatric ED visits.
“By 18 years of age, it is estimated that 30% to 50% of children experience at least 1 fainting episode, and syncope accounts for 3% of all pediatric ED visits (617–622).”
From 2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope (2017) · cites this paper as [619]
The paper describes childhood syncope as very common, but the available passages do not give a proportion of pediatric emergency-department visits. Searches for the 3% figure and for emergency-department attendance found no supporting passage; page numbers were not available in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.72)
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured
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Cites
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2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope
Shen, W.-K., Sheldon, R. S., Benditt, D. G., Cohen, M. I., Forman, D. E., Goldberger, Z. D., Grubb, B. P., Hamdan, M. H., Krahn, A. D., Link, M. S., et al. (2017) · Heart Rhythm · doi:10.1016/j.hrthm.2017.03.004 · Cited by 484 · see citing works
2017 ACC/AHA/HRS Guideline for the Evaluation and Management of Patients With Syncope
Shen, W.-K., Sheldon, R. S., Benditt, D. G., Cohen, M. I., Forman, D. E., Goldberger, Z. D., Grubb, B. P., Hamdan, M. H., Krahn, A. D., Link, M. S., et al. (2017) · Journal of the American College of Cardiology · doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.03.003 · Cited by 327 · see citing works
Raucci, U., Scateni, S., Tozzi, A. E., Drago, F., Giordano, U., Marcias, M., Faa, F., & Reale, A. (2014) · The Journal of Pediatrics · doi:10.1016/j.jpeds.2014.06.064 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
- Authors
- McLeod, K. A.
- Affiliations
- Royal Hospital for Children (GB)
- Corresponding author
- McLeod, K A
- ORCID
- McLeod, K A
- Venue
- Archives of Disease in Childhood
- Publisher
- BMJ
- Published
- 2003-04-01
- Volume
- 88
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 350-353
- ISSN
- 0003-9888 (ISSN-L)
- 1468-2044
- PMC
- PMC1719534
- OpenAlex
- W2151667025
- Cited by
- 79
- References
- 2
- Citations by year
- 2025: 6 · 2022: 1 · 2021: 2 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 6 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 8 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 7
- FWCI
- 2.88
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Archives of Disease in Childhood (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- HighWire Press Open Archive (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Surgery › Cardiovascular Syncope and Autonomic Disorders
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Heart Rate Variability and Autonomic Control
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Psychiatry and Mental health › Psychosomatic Disorders and Their Treatments
- Keywords
- syncope, childhood, vasovagal syncope, differential diagnosis, medical history, reassurance, pharmacotherapy, cardiac pacemaker
- MeSH terms
- Autonomic Nervous System Diseases, Cardiac Pacing, Artificial, Child, Electrocardiography, Electroencephalography, Humans, Recurrence, Syncope, Tilt-Table Test
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