Vertigo and Dizziness
Vertigo and Dizziness
By Dr.Ravindra Patil
Dizziness
Overview
Dizziness is a term used to describe a range of sensations, such as feeling faint, woozy, weak or unsteady. Dizziness that creates the false sense that you or your surroundings are spinning or moving is called vertigo. Dizziness is one of the more common reasons adults visit their doctors. Frequent dizzy spells or constant dizziness can significantly affect your life. But dizziness rarely signals a life-threatening condition.
Treatment of dizziness depends on the cause and your symptoms. It’s usually effective, but the problem may recur.
Table of Contents
Symptoms
People experiencing dizziness may describe it as any of a number of sensations, such as:
- A false sense of motion or spinning (vertigo)
- Light-headedness or feeling faint
- Unsteadiness or a loss of balance
- A feeling of floating, wooziness or heavy-headedness
These feelings may be triggered or worsened by walking, standing up or moving your head. Your dizziness may be accompanied by nausea or be so sudden or severe that you need to sit or lie down. The episode may last seconds or days and may recur.
Causes of Dizziness
Dizziness has many possible causes, including inner ear disturbance, motion sickness and medication effects, poor circulation, infection or injury.
Inner ear problems that cause dizziness (vertigo): Your sense of balance depends on the combined input from the various parts of your sensory system. These include the following:
- Eyes, which help you determine where your body is in space and how it’s moving
- Sensory nerves, which send messages to your brain about body movements and positions
- Inner ear, which houses sensors that help detect gravity and back-and-forth motion
- A viral infection of the vestibular nerve
- Meniere’s disease: excessive build-up of fluid in your inner ear.
- People who experience migraines may have episodes of dizziness
Circulation problems that cause dizziness
You may feel dizzy, faint or off balance if your heart isn’t pumping enough blood to your brain. Causes include:
- Drop in blood pressure
- Poor blood circulation
Neurological conditions that cause dizziness
- Parkinson’s disease
- Multiple Sclerosis
- Dizziness can be a side effect of certain medications such as anti-seizure drugs, antidepressants, sedatives and tranquilizers and blood pressure lowering medications
- Anxiety disorders like panic attacks and a fear of leaving home or being in large, open spaces
Other causes of Dizziness
- Low iron levels (anaemia)
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycaemia)
- Carbon monoxide poisoning
- Overheating and dehydration
Risk factors
Factors that may increase your risk of getting dizzy include:
- Older adults are more likely to have dizziness
- A past episode of dizziness
Complications
Dizziness can increase your risk of falling and injuring yourself. Experiencing dizziness while driving a car or operating heavy machinery can increase the likelihood of an accident.