The intersectionality of syncope, anxiety, depression, and sudden cardiac arrests in children and young adults

Children and young adults are at particular risk for syncope and anxiety/depression, and these conditions may be interrelated. In very rare cases these disorders could potentially predispose to sudden cardiac arrest. This thesis examines the relationships between these pathologies through (i) a systematic review of anxiety/depression in children with syncope; (ii) a retrospective analysis of the symptoms and circumstances that precede a cardiac arrest in the young; and (iii) interviews evaluating the triggering events in young cardiac arrest survivors. Results showed there is potential for heightened anxiety/depression in the young to exacerbate syncope, and in rare cases syncope occurrences may predispose to arrhythmia or cardiac arrest. Chart reviews and interviews showed the potential role for the autonomic nervous system in triggering cardiac arrests. Insight into the intersectionality of syncope, anxiety, and depression could improve management and inform diagnoses for sudden cardiac arrest survivors and their families.