Syncope while driving: clinical characteristics, causes, and prognosis.
نویسندگان
چکیده
BACKGROUND The risk of syncope occurring while driving has obvious implications for personal and public safety. We aimed to define the clinical characteristics, causes, and prognosis of syncope while driving. METHODS AND RESULTS In this case-control study of consecutive patients evaluated for syncope from 1996 through 1998 at an academic medical center, we documented causes, clinical characteristics, and recurrence of syncope while driving. Of 3877 patients identified, 381 (9.8%) had syncope while driving (driving group). Compared with the 3496 patients (90.2%) who did not have syncope while driving, the driving group was younger (P=0.01) and had higher percentages of male patients (P<0.001) and patients with a history of any cardiovascular disease (P=0.01) and stroke (P=0.02). Syncope while driving was commonly caused by neurally mediated syncope (37.3%) and cardiac arrhythmias (11.8%). Long-term survival in the driving group was comparable to that of an age- and sex-matched cohort from the Minnesota population (P=0.15). Among the driving group, syncope recurred in 72 patients, 35 of whom (48.6%) had recurrence >6 months after the initial evaluation. Recurrences during driving happened in 10 patients in the driving group, 7 of which (70%) were >12 months after the initial evaluation. CONCLUSIONS In our study, neurally mediated syncope was the most common type of syncope while driving. The causes of syncope, the late recurrences of syncope (during > or =6 months of follow-up), and the overall low incidence of recurrent syncope while driving provide useful information to supplement current recommendations on driving for these patients.
منابع مشابه
Syncope While Driving Clinical Characteristics
Background—The risk of syncope occurring while driving has obvious implications for personal and public safety. We aimed to define the clinical characteristics, causes, and prognosis of syncope while driving. Methods and Results—In this case-control study of consecutive patients evaluated for syncope from 1996 through 1998 at an academic medical center, we documented causes, clinical characteri...
متن کاملEtiology of syncope in hospitalized patients
Background: Syncope is a common clinical problem which can be remarkably debilitating and associated with high health care costs. Syncope is a clinical syndrome with many potential causes. The aim of the study was to determine the etiologies of patients with syncope in the emergency department (ED) of a referral and general university hospital. Methods: One hundred sixty-five consecutive ...
متن کامل[Prognosis of presyncope in patients with structural heart disease].
INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Few data are available on the prognosis of presyncope in patients with structural heart disease. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical characteristics and long-term prognosis of patients with structural heart disease admitted for presyncope or syncope in the cardiology department of a tertiary hospital. METHODS We reviewed the medical records of 449 pat...
متن کاملClinical review Neurocardiogenic syncope
Syncope is a common problem that many clinicians may encounter in various outpatient settings. Neurally mediated syncopal syndrome includes carotid sinus syndrome, situational syncope, and neurocardiogenic syncope (also known as vasovagal syncope), which is the most common cause of syncope in both children and adults, accounting for 50-66% of unexplained syncope. 2 The distinction between neuro...
متن کاملExplaining the Unexplained Causes of Syncope
Determining the cause of recurrent unexplained syncope remains a clinical challenge and a permanent quest. Guidelines and multiple studies emphasize that a clear deductive method based on a thorough interrogation and examination can usually disclose the etiology of syncope in the majority of cases (2). Nonetheless, in daily clinical practice, applying a simple comprehensive diagnostic approach ...
متن کاملذخیره در منابع من
با ذخیره ی این منبع در منابع من، دسترسی به آن را برای استفاده های بعدی آسان تر کنید
برای دانلود متن کامل این مقاله و بیش از 32 میلیون مقاله دیگر ابتدا ثبت نام کنید
ثبت ناماگر عضو سایت هستید لطفا وارد حساب کاربری خود شوید
ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- Circulation
دوره 120 11 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2009