· What is vertigo?
Vertigo is a condition where a person has the sensation of moving or of surrounding objects moving when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. This may be associated with nausea, vomiting, sweating, or difficulties walking. It is typically worse when the head is moved. It is different from dizziness or light headedness.
Our body’s balance system is very complex. It receives input from various organs of the body such as eyes, muscles, joints and ear and the signals are processed by the brain to maintain balance.
IT IS NOT A DISEASE, BUT A SYMPTOM OF A DISEASE
· What are the causes of Vertigo?
It can be caused by wide variety of reasons, hence evaluation by an ENT specialist is required. The causes are broadly classified into Central (Brain) and Peripheral (ears). Most commonly it is caused by ear issues such as follows:
Ear-
Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
Meniere’s Disease
Vestibular neuritis
Brain-
Head injury
Stroke
Tumour
It can also be caused by certain medications and alcohol.
· What are the associated symptoms?
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Unsteadiness
- Imbalance
- Light headedness
- Abnormal jerky eye movements
· What are the treatment options?
Since the causes of vertigo differ, so does the treatment. Hence, a detailed evaluation by an ENT specialist is important.
However, treatment can be broadly classified into-
i. Medications
ii. Physiotherapy
iii. Surgery (very very rarely)
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