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Evaluating Loss of Consciousness in the Elderly
Author(s) -
Scherokman Barbara,
Massey E. Wayne
Publication year - 1980
Publication title -
journal of the american geriatrics society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.992
H-Index - 232
eISSN - 1532-5415
pISSN - 0002-8614
DOI - 10.1111/j.1532-5415.1980.tb01130.x
Subject(s) - medicine , differential diagnosis , physical examination , consciousness , medical history , syncope (phonology) , clinical history , unconsciousness , pediatrics , intensive care medicine , psychiatry , surgery , pathology , neuroscience , biology
In the case of an elderly patient with transient loss of consciousness, the chief differential diagnosis is syncope versus seizure. The most helpful diagnostic aid is a thorough history obtained from both the patient and an observer. The tentative diagnosis based on the history can be confirmed by the findings on physical examination and by such secondary studies as an electroencephalogram and a series of cardiac tests.