Evaluation of Patients with Syncope

To the Editor: In the July 28 issue Kapoor et al. discussed the prospective evaluation and outcome of patients with syncope.¹ We have recently completed a prospective study of patients with syncope and have reported findings that are dissimilar.² We evaluated 178 consecutive patients with syncope who were seen in a major teaching hospital's emergency room and followed them for 10 months. In this study the incidence of vasodepressor syncope was 54 per cent (97 of 178), whereas that of syncope of unknown cause was 22 per cent (40 of 178). These numbers contrast markedly with Kapoor et al's. findings.