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Postural Hypotension and Syncope in the Elderly

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Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly

Part of the book series: Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine ((DICM,volume 76))

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Abstract

The abrupt loss of consciousness is the second most common reason why people seek emergency medical care. The very old have a 6 percent yearly incidence of syncope, and those who do faint have a recurrence rate of 30 percent [1]. Vasovagal syncope, or the common faint, and psychogenic fainting are relatively less common in the elderly than in young persons. Serious treatable causes of syncope such as postural hypotension and cardiac arrhythmias are more frequent in the old (table 8–1).

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Authors
  1. Michael G. Ziegler
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  2. Richard R. Barager
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Alton Ochsner Medical Foundation, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA

    Franz H. Messerli

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© 1987 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

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Ziegler, M.G., Barager, R.R. (1987). Postural Hypotension and Syncope in the Elderly. In: Messerli, F.H. (eds) Cardiovascular Disease in the Elderly. Developments in Cardiovascular Medicine, vol 76. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9925-4_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-9925-4_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Boston, MA

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4684-9927-8

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4684-9925-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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