European Heart Journal Advance Access originally published online on July 12, 2006
European Heart Journal 2006 27(16):1965-1970; doi:10.1093/eurheartj/ehl147
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Vasovagal syncope in medical students and their first-degree relatives
Libin Cardiovascular Institute of Alberta, University of Calgary, 3, 330 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, Canada T2N 4N2
Received 20 December 2005; revised 3 May 2006; accepted 23 June 2006; online publish-ahead-of-print 12 July 2006.
* Corresponding author. Tel: +1 403 220 8191; fax: +1 403 270 0313. E-mail address: sheldon{at}ucalgary.ca
Aims To determine the effect of family history on the likelihood of vasovagal syncope.
Methods and results Sixty-two medical students and 228 first-degree relatives were studied. Vasovagal syncope was ascertained with the Calgary syncope symptom score. The effects of the sex of the subject and parental syncope history on the likelihood of offspring fainting were described using Kaplan–Meier estimates and analysed using proportional hazards regression. The prevalence of vasovagal syncope was 32% and the median age of first faint in those who fainted was 14 years. More females than males fainted [42 vs. 31%; P=0.02; hazard ratio (HR) 1.34 (95% CI 1.07–1.68)]. An individual with two fainting parents was more likely to faint than one with no fainting parents [P<0.0001; HR 3.4 (95% CI 1.7–7.03)]. In the proportional hazards model, offspring of either sex whose mother faints are more likely to faint than those whose mother does not faint [HR 2.86 (95% CI 1.54–5.31)]. Having a father who faints significantly increases the risk of syncope in sons [HR 4.12 (95%CI 1.39–12.31)], but not in daughters [HR 1.18 (95% CI 0.56–3.34)].
Conclusion Family history and sex of subject are important predictors of vasovagal syncope in offspring.
Key Words: Vasovagal • Syncope • Inheritance • Family history • Faint