Abstract

ASENSIO LAFUENTE, Enrique et al. Differential behaviour of blood pressure in patients with neurocardiogenic syncope during the initial stage of the tilt table test. Arch. Cardiol. Méx. [online]. 2006, vol.76, n.1, pp.59-62. ISSN 1665-1731.

Neurocardiogenic syncope (NCS) is diagnosed by means of a head-up tilt table tests (HUTT). This is a prolonged test although early outcome predictors are known. Methods: We conducted a study among patients engaged in a syncope study protocol. We performed HUTT in all of them and compared the basal arterial pressure with the arterial pressure at the end of a the 70° tilting. Results: We performed 185 HUTT studies. Systolic blood pressure (BP) raised 0.9% among patients with a negative test, whereas patients with a positive HUTT showed a 2.3% decrease (p = 0.2) in the same measurement. Diastolic BP increased 34% among negative HUTT patients and 14.9% among patients with positive test (p = 0.02). We calculated a relative risk of 1.45 for positive test when the combination of systolic BD decrease and dyastolic increase was present, according to the percentage of change (IC95%: 1.1 to 7.8). Conclusions: The combination of systolic BP reduction and diastolic BP elevation at the end of the 70° tilting is associated with an increased risk of having a positive HUTT. These changes might be related to differential sympathetic stimulation.

Keywords : Neurocardiogenic syncope; Blood pressure; Predictors; Physiopathology; Dysautonomia; Sympathetic stimulation.

        · abstract in Spanish     · text in Spanish     · Spanish ( pdf )