Syncope, defined as a
transient loss of consciousness, is commonly clinical encountered in
patients of all ages at
emergency and
outpatient clinics. However,
syncope shares various clinical features with other
diseases (e.g.,
epilepsy), and the explicit cause may be difficult to identify because testing (e.g.,
electrocardiography) cannot be performed during a
syncopal episode.
Syncope due to a
cardiac disorder may
lead to a
fatal outcome such as
sudden cardiac death, whereas neurally mediated
syncope has a much more favorable
prognosis. Herein, we classify the causes of
syncope and provide the clinical approach for each, focusing on recently updated guidelines.