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Europace Advance Access originally published online on January 18, 2009
Europace 2009 11(4):414-420; doi:10.1093/europace/eun387
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Published on behalf of the European Society of Cardiology. All rights reserved. © The Author 2009. For permissions please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

REVIEWS

Genetic aspects of vasovagal syncope: a systematic review of current evidence

Louise R.A. Olde Nordkamp1, Wouter Wieling1, Aeilko H. Zwinderman2, Arthur A.M. Wilde3 and Nynke van Dijk2,*

1 Department of Internal Medicine, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 2 Department of Clinical Epidemiology Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Academic Medical Centre, PO Box 22700, 1100 DE Amsterdam, The Netherlands; 3 Department of Cardiology, Academic Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Knowledge on the aetiology of vasovagal syncope (VVS) is of great importance to optimize its diagnostic and therapeutic options. To unravel the largely unknown pathophysiology, studies on genetic aspects of VVS can be of use. This systematic review on all available literature aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge of VVS genetics. The MEDLINE and EMBASE database were systematically searched for all studies discussing genetic factors as a cause of VVS. Hereditary aspects of VVS were studied in 19 studies. Six studies determined a positive family history in, respectively, 19–90% of the VVS patients. These numbers, however, are not higher than the cumulative incidence of VVS in the general population (35–39%). Four studies examined potential genetic polymorphisms associated with VVS. Only a Gly389 allele was more frequently present in VVS patients with a positive HUT test, although the significance level was set much higher than usual in genetic studies, and this result has not been replicated so far. Knowledge on genetic aspects of VVS could be very useful in clinical practice and research, but the current evidence that it has a genetic basis is not very strong.

Key Words: Syncope, Vasovagal syncope, Genetics, Family history, Twins

* Corresponding author. Tel: +31 20 5668975, Fax: +31 20 6912683, Email: n.vandijk{at}amc.uva.nl

Manuscript submitted 2 September 2008. Accepted after revision 22 December 2008.


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