Syncope in childhood

: Syncope may be defined a sudden and transient loss of consciousness due to a reversible alteration of brain function. Three main groups of syncopes can be identified: cardiac, vascular and non-cardiovascular. All the patients (63) admitted to the emergency unit of Pediatric Clinic of the University of Padua from January 83 to July 84 and reporting one or more episodes of loss of consciousness were examined. Their age ranged from 1 month to 15 years. All the patients were investigated with the same study protocol: ECG, EEG, 24 hours ECG monitoring, routine blood examinations; other tests were done when needed. The cause of syncope was established in 53,8% of cases; for 6,3% of patients the cause was cardiac (arrhythmic), in 38% it was vascular (vasovagal syncope), in 6,3% it was non-cardiovascular (neurologic or metabolic). The cause of syncope was not identified in 46% of the patients, which is also in agreement with other studies. However, we were able, through the use of our protocol, to identify quickly and non invasively the etiology of the syncope in 25% of the patients.