ABSTRACT
Syncope is a loss of consciousness due to a temporary impairment of cerebral perfusion. (The word syncope is Greek and means abrupt interruption or pause.)
The Scope of the Problem
Older individuals are prone to syncope due to agerelated changes in cardiovascular homeostatic mechanisms, comorbid illness and (in particular) medications. The annual incidence of syncope in this age group is not known with certainty. Published figures may be underestimates as unwitnessed syncopal events are misreported as falls by elderly people with cognitive impairment.1 A recurrence rate of 30% at two years has been reported.2
