Syncope in older patients

Abstract

The term syncope has been used to describe collapse of any nature but this is not the appropriate use of the word. Syncope originates from the Greek and means ‘cessation’ or ‘interruption’. The specific application of the word syncope is a temporary loss of cerebral blood flow, resulting in loss of consciousness and postural tone, thus leading to collapse. Although other conditions resulting in collapse may be difficult to disentangle from a syncopal event, it is the broad spectrum of diagnoses resulting in syncope to which this article is dedicated.