Long-term follow-up of psychogenic pseudosyncope

Objective: To determine the outcome of patients with psychogenic pseudosyncope (PPS) after communication of the diagnosis.

Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of patients with PPS referred in 2007 to 2015 to a tertiary referral center for syncope. We reviewed patient records and studied attack frequency, factors affecting attack frequency, health care use, and quality of life using a questionnaire. We explored influences on attack freedom and attack frequency in the 6 months before follow-up for age, sex, education level, duration until diagnosis, probability of diagnosis, additional syncope, and acceptance of diagnosis.

Results: Forty-seven of 57 patients with PPS could be traced, of whom 35 (74%) participated. Twelve (34%) were attack-free for at least 6 months. The median time from diagnosis to follow-up was 50 months (range 6–103 months). Communicating and explaining the diagnosis resulted in immediate reduction of attack frequency (p = 0.007) from the month before diagnosis (median one attack, range 0–156) to the month after (median one attack, range 0–16). In the 6 months before follow-up, the number of admissions decreased from 19 of 35 to 0 of 35 (p = 0.002). The use of somatic and mental health care shifted toward the latter (p < 0.0001). Quality of life at follow-up (Short Form Health Survey 36) showed lower scores for 7 of 8 domains compared to matched Dutch control values; quality of life was not influenced by attack freedom.

Conclusions: After communication of the diagnosis in PPS, attack frequency decreased and health care use shifted toward mental care. Low quality of life underlines that PPS is a serious condition.