Abstract.
There is no widely adopted definition or classification of syncope and related disorders. This lack of uniformity harms patient care, research, and medical education. In this article, syncope is defined as a form of transient loss of consciousness (TLOC) due to cerebral hypoperfusion. Differences between syncope and other causes of TLOC such as epilepsy, and disorders mimicking TLOC are described. A pathophysiological classification of syncope is proposed.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Blume WT, Luders HO, Mizrahi E, Tassinari C, van Emde Boas W, Engel J Jr (2001) Glossary of descriptive terminology for ictal semiology: report of the ILAE task force on classification and terminology. Epilepsia 42:1212–1218
Brignole M, Alboni P, Benditt D, Bergfeldt L, Blanc JJ, Bloch Thomsen PE, van Dijk JG, Fitzpatrick A, Hohnloser S, Janousek J, Kapoor W, Kenny RA, Kulakowski P, Moya A, Raviele A, Sutton R, Theodorakis G, Wieling W; Task Force on Syncope, European Society of Cardiology (2001) Guidelines on management (diagnosis and treatment) of syncope. Eur Heart J 22:1256–1306
Calkins H, Byrne M, el Atassi R, Kalbfleisch S, Langberg JJ, Morady F (1993) The economic burden of unrecognized vasodepressor syncope. Am J Med 95:473–479
Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, DSM-IV (1994) American Psychiatric Association, Washington, pp 453–475
Headache Classification Subcommittee of the International Headache Society (2004) The International Classification of Headache Disorders: 2nd edition. Cephalalgia 24(Suppl 1):9–160
Lempert T, Bauer M, Schmidt D (1994) Syncope: a videometric analysis of 56 episodes of transient cerebral hypoxia. Ann Neurol 36:233–237
Lin JT, Ziegler DK, Lai CW, Bayer W (1982) Convulsive syncope in blood donors. Ann Neurol 11:525–528
Newman BH, Graves S (2001) A study of 178 consecutive vasovagal syncopal reactions from the perspective of safety. Transfusion 41:1475–1479
Plum F, Posner JB (eds) (1980) The diagnosis of stupor and coma. FA Davis Company, Philadelphia, pp 1–3
Schatz IJ, Bannister R, Freeman RL, Jankovic J, Kaufmann H, Koller WC, Low PA, Mathias CJ, Polinsky RJ, Quinn NP, Robertson D, Streeten DHP (1996) Consensus statement on the definition of orthostatic hypotension, pure autonomic failure and multiple system atrophy. Clin Auton Res 6:125–126
Soteriades ES, Evans JC, Larson MG, Chen MH, Chen L, Benjamin EJ, Levy D (2002) Incidence and prognosis of syncope. N Engl J Med 347:878–885
Warlow CP, Dennis MS, van Gijn J, Hankey GJ, Sandercock PAG, Bamford JM, Wardlaw JM (eds) (2001) Stroke: a practical guide to management. Blackwell science, Oxford, pp 28–105
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Thijs, R.D., Wieling, W., Kaufmann, H. et al. Defining and classifying syncope. Clin Auton Res 14 (Suppl 1), i4–i8 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-004-1002-4
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-004-1002-4