Palpitations: could they be neurogenic? A case report.

BACKGROUND

Palpitations usually occur in patients with arrhythmias of cardiac origion, in conditions associated with increased catecholamine levels, and in psychiatric disorders. A rare etiology of palpitations is seizures with autonomic features.

REVIEW SUMMARY: We report a 24-year-old man with a several-week history of episodic palpitations, weakness, dizziness, and presyncopal phenomena. Subsequent events included loss of consciousness, with postevent confusion and tonic movements. A low-grade astrocytoma was diagnosed in the right frontal lobe.

CONCLUSION

This case emphasizes the importance of detailed history in the diagnosis of epilepsy.