All You Need To Know About Vertigo

Dizziness if a common symptom of weakness, but frequent dizzy spells signify an underlying condition called vertigo. Here’s all you need to know about it…

WHAT IS VERTIGO?

Vertigo is the slightly dizzy feeling one gets at great heights when looking down. It can occur at any time for no reason. It may be accompanied by vomiting, sudden falls to the ground or ringing in the ears.

THE CAUSES

Disturbance of the balance mechanism in the ears, or in balancing signals from the joints, muscles or eyes.

Blood pressure and cardiac medicines, alcohol, ear infections and diseases that affect the functioning of the nerves and brain like diabetes, stroke or spinal cord injury.

High or low blood sugar or pressure, wax in the ears, and blocked ears from a cold and anaemia.

Medical conditions like benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, menieres syndrome (increased ear pressure with ringing in the ears, deafness), spondylitis.

THE SYMPTOMS

Patients of vertigo may have some or all of the following symptoms:

A feeling of spinning, tilting, swaying, unbalance, being pulled to one direction, nausea, abnormal or jerking eye movements (nystagmus), headache, sweating, ringing in the ears or hearing loss. Symptoms can last a few minutes to a few hours or more and may come and go.

THE DIAGNOSIS

The doctor will perform a list of special tests on the patient.