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Lukich SD, Sarin A, Pierce JM, Russell MW, Malas N. Syncope and Unresponsiveness in an Adolescent With Comorbid Cardiac Disease: An Illustrative Case Report and Literature Review of Functional Neurologic Symptom Disorder. J Acad Consult Liaison Psychiatry 2023; 64:392-402. [PMID: 37001641 DOI: 10.1016/j.jaclp.2023.03.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2021] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 03/31/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND This case report with an associated literature review explores the challenges, opportunities, and current evidence in creating a thoughtful diagnostic and management plan for an adolescent with functional neurologic symptom disorder and comorbid cardiac disease. METHODS We performed a literature review utilizing PubMed to identify the current evidence base related to pediatric functional neurologic symptom disorder in the setting of comorbid cardiac disease. Ultimately, 25 manuscripts were identified for inclusion in this study. RESULTS We reported the recent epidemiology, screening, diagnostic, and treatment measures utilized in pediatric syncope with a focus on differentiating psychogenic causes from serious cardiac and benign etiologies. We further described how psychiatric and psychological factors influence assessment, management, and outcomes. CONCLUSIONS This study provides current, evidence-based suggestions for the assessment, diagnosis, and management of pediatric syncope, with an emphasis on recognizing psychogenic causes of syncope. It includes a description of a novel case of functional neurologic symptom disorder in a pediatric patient with structural cardiac disease. The study highlights how the absence of standardized guidelines, heterogeneity in care delivery, and lack of concurrent mental health management led to worse outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stevan Donald Lukich
- Department of Pediatrics, Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital, Chicago, IL.
| | - Aashima Sarin
- Central Michigan University Medical School, Mount Pleasant, MI
| | | | - Mark William Russell
- Division of Pediatric Cardiology, Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
| | - Nasuh Malas
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI; Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, MI
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Li C, Zhang Y, Liao Y, Han L, Zhang Q, Fu J, Zhou D, Long S, Tian H, Jin H, Du J. Differential Diagnosis Between Psychogenic Pseudosyncope and Vasovagal Syncope in Children: A Quantitative Scoring Model Based on Clinical Manifestations. Front Cardiovasc Med 2022; 9:839183. [PMID: 35155640 PMCID: PMC8829042 DOI: 10.3389/fcvm.2022.839183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2021] [Accepted: 01/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The study was designed to explore a clinical manifestation-based quantitative scoring model to assist the differentiation between psychogenic pseudosyncope (PPS) and vasovagal syncope (VVS) in children. In this retrospective case-control study, the training set included 233 pediatric patients aged 5-17 years (183 children with VVS and 50 with PPS) and the validation set consisted of another 138 patients aged 5-15 years (100 children with VVS and 38 with PPS). In the training set study, the demographic characteristics and clinical presentation of patients were compared between PPS and VVS. The independent variables were analyzed by binary logistic regression, and the score for each variable was given according to the approximate values of odds ratio (OR) to develop a scoring model for distinguishing PPS and VVS. The cut-off scores and area under the curve (AUC) for differentiating PPS and VVS cases were calculated using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Then, the ability of the scoring model to differentiate PPS from VVS was validated by the true clinical diagnosis of PPS and VVS in the validation set. In the training set, there were 7 variables with significant differences between the PPS and VVS groups, including duration of loss of consciousness (DLOC) (p < 0.01), daily frequency of attacks (p < 0.01), BMI (p < 0.01), 24-h average HR (p < 0.01), upright posture (p < 0.01), family history of syncope (p < 0.05) and precursors (p < 0.01). The binary regression analysis showed that upright posture, DLOC, daily frequency of attacks, and BMI were independent variables to distinguish between PPS and VVS. Based on the OR values of each independent variable, a score of 5 as the cut-off point for differentiating PPS from VVS yielded the sensitivity and specificity of 92.0% and 90.7%, respectively, and the AUC value was 0.965 (95% confidence interval: 0.945-0.986, p < 0.01). The sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of this scoring model in the external validation set to distinguish PPS from VVS were 73.7%, 93.0%, and 87.7%, respectively. Therefore, the clinical manifestation-based scoring model is a simple and efficient measure to distinguish between PPS and VVS.
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Affiliation(s)
- Changjian Li
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
- Department of Cardiology, Wuhan Children's Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Yong Zhang
- Department of Cardiology, Wuhan Children's Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Ying Liao
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Lu Han
- Cardiovascular Center, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Qingyou Zhang
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Jia Fu
- Department of Cardiology, Wuhan Children's Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Dan Zhou
- Department of Cardiology, Wuhan Children's Hospital (Wuhan Maternal and Child Healthcare Hospital), Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Shuai Long
- Cardiovascular Center, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hong Tian
- Cardiovascular Center, Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongfang Jin
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
| | - Junbao Du
- Department of Pediatrics, Peking University First Hospital, Beijing, China
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences, The Ministry of China, Beijing, China
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Atypical Prodromal Symptoms Help to Distinguish Patients With Psychogenic Nonsyncopal Collapse Among Youth Referred for Fainting. Pediatr Neurol 2019; 95:67-72. [PMID: 30922770 DOI: 10.1016/j.pediatrneurol.2019.02.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2019] [Revised: 02/03/2019] [Accepted: 02/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Distinguishing patients with psychogenic nonsyncopal collapse (PNSC), a conversion disorder that resembles syncope, can pose a difficult clinical challenge. Using the open-ended question "what does it feel like to faint?," the present study aimed to characterize how patients with PNSC perceive and communicate the prodromal symptoms associated with their attacks by comparing narratives between patients with PNSC and those with syncope. METHODS During a 42-month database-type study of tilt-table diagnoses, all patients with a history of fainting were asked the open-ended question. Symptom descriptions were compared, qualitatively and quantitatively, between patients with PNSC and those with tilt-induced syncope (n = 121 in both cohorts). RESULTS Twenty-nine patients (24%) diagnosed with PNSC and eight (6.6%) diagnosed with syncope either denied having any prodromal symptoms or could not recall any symptoms (P < 0.001). Among patients who reported prodromal symptoms, patient narratives led to the formation of 26 symptom categories. Symptom frequencies differed between cohorts in 19 of the symptom categories (each P value <0.05). Qualitative differences in the descriptions of symptoms were often present, even when symptom frequencies did not differ. More patients with PNSC described atypical symptoms than patients with syncope, 54 of 92 (58.7%) versus eight of 113 (7.1%), P < 0.001. CONCLUSIONS Symptom narratives can help to distinguish patients with PNSC from those with syncope. The use of a single, open-ended question as a screening tool for conversion disorder has immediate clinical relevance because it can be instituted easily in a busy clinical setting.
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The Fainting Assessment Inventory: A 10-Item Instrument Developed to Screen for Psychogenic Nonsyncopal Collapse Among Youth Referred for Syncope. J Nerv Ment Dis 2019; 207:255-263. [PMID: 30921250 DOI: 10.1097/nmd.0000000000000952] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
The conversion disorder that appears like syncope is common but poorly recognized. The study aimed to develop and validate a brief, clinician-administered screening tool to discriminate psychogenic nonsyncopal collapse (PNSC) among young patients referred for fainting. Consecutive patients with PNSC and with syncope (15.4 ± 2.2 years) completed a 92-item inventory highlighting features typical of PNSC and neurally mediated syncope (n = 35, each cohort). Fourteen items were retained and revised and then administered to new cohorts ultimately diagnosed with PNSC or syncope (n = 40, each cohort). Further revision led to a 10-item Fainting Assessment Inventory (FAI-10). Scoring the syncope ratings positively and the PNSC ratings negatively, median scores differed between cohorts with PNSC and with syncope (-6 vs. 7; p < 0.001). Diagnostic sensitivity (0.95), specificity (0.875), positive predictive value (0.889), negative predictive value (0.93), and area under the curve (0.973) were calculated. The FAI-10 furthers clinicians' ability to distinguish various forms of transient loss of consciousness.
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