Transient loss of consciousness: Neurally-mediated syncope, psychogenic syncope or epilepsy? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to define important clinical and laboratory features that may be useful in the differential diagnosis of pediatric patients who presented with temporary loss of consciousness and in whom cardiac causes had been excluded, especially in the differentiation of convulsive syncope and epileptic seizure. Methods: The records of patients presenting with temporary loss of consciousness and in whom cardiac causes had been excluded, were retrospectively evaluated. All patients were grouped according to their diagnosis and the data were evaluated comparatively. Results: Six-hundred-and-twelve patient files were evaluated, and 350 patient files were included in the study. 68.6% of the patients were diagnosed with vasovagal syncope, 13.1% were diagnosed with psychogenic pseudosyncope and 18.2% of the patients were diagnosed with epilepsy. In addition, compared to other subgroups, the patients in the epilepsy group were younger (p

Keywords

• Epilepsy
• syncope
• syncope unconsciousness
• urinary incontinence
• vasovagal