Convulsive syncope in young adults: Think of a cardiac cause

Convulsive syncope is often misdiagnosed as epilepsy because of its similar ity in clinical presentation. We present the case of a patient who had seve ral such episodes before a definitive diagnosis was made. The diagnosis of prolonged sinus arrest was finally made with the valuable assistance of car diac monitoring during a witnessed episode of convulsive syncope. Appropria te therapy was prompty introduced, i.e. temporary then permanent cardiac pa cing. It is possible that any further delay in reaching the correct diagnos is and delivering appropriate treatment might have carried a significant ri sk of morbidity and mortality. Continuous electrocardiographic monitoring p erformed at an early stage is therefore crucial in the initial assessment o f a young adult presenting with convulsive syncope, as a significant propor tion may have a cardiovascular aetiology, particularly arrhythmias, for the ir syncopal episodes.