PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - D Hindley
AU  - A Ali
AU  - C Robson
TI  - Diagnoses made in a secondary care “fits, faints, and funny turns” clinic
AID  - 10.1136/adc.2004.062455
DP  - 2006 Mar 01
TA  - Archives of Disease in Childhood
PG  - 214--218
VI  - 91
IP  - 3
4099  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/91/3/214.short
4100  - http://adc.bmj.com/content/91/3/214.full
SO  - Arch Dis Child2006 Mar 01; 91
AB  - Aims: To investigate the diagnoses made for children referred to a “fits, faints, and funny turns” clinic. Methods: Prospective study of 380 children referred to a dedicated secondary care clinic over an eight year period. Results: Twenty three per cent of children were given a final diagnosis of one of the childhood epilepsies, with 48% of these having a specific epilepsy syndrome. Syncope was the commonest cause of a non-epileptic event (syncope and reflex anoxic seizures comprised 100/238, 42%) but there were a wide variety of other causes. Fifty three events (14%) were unclassified and managed without a diagnostic label or treatment. Conclusions: In children with funny turns referred to secondary care, the diagnostic possibilities are numerous; among non-epileptic events, syncopes predominate. The majority do not have epilepsy. Unclassifiable events with no clear epileptic or non-epileptic cause are common and can be safely managed expectantly.