DIZZINESS
Vertigo
What is Vertigo?
Vertigo is the feeling of spinning, or that the world is spinning around you. It can come and go and can last from seconds to hours, and sometimes days. You might feel worse if you change positions (ex. rolling over in bed), when you move your head, or if you cough or sneeze.
Vertigo can make it hard to walk, like you are unsteady on your feet. It is common to feel sick to your stomach (nausea) when you have vertigo and some people may even vomit during an episode of vertigo.
Causes of Vertigo
The most common causes of vertigo come from within the inner ear. Deep inside your ear, beyond the ear drum, there is a network of tubes that are filled with fluid. This is called the vestibular system. There are little calcium deposits that float around in this fluid – their job is to communicate to your brain what position your body is in. They help you to remain balanced.
There are a variety of problems within the inner ear that can cause vertigo:
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Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo: this is when you have extra/loose calcium deposits in your inner ear. This can lead to short periods of vertigo when you move your head in certain ways (see sectione on BPPV).
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Vestibular neuritis (aka Labyrinthitis): this happens when a virus attacks your inner ear or the nerve inside your inner ear. Attacks of vestibular neuritis come on quickly and can last several days. These attacks leave people feeling sick and off balance.
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Meniere disease: people with this condition have a build-up of fluid inside their inner ear which results in vertigo, hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in your ears).
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Vestibular migraine: people who suffer from migraines can have attacks of vertigo with or without migraine.
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Head injuries: even just a mild head injury can cause some damage to the inner ear resulting in episodes of vertigo. The vertigo is usually temporary.
There are other things that can cause episodes of vertigo such as certain medicines or conditions that affect the brain such as stroke or MS (multiple sclerosis).
Diagnosing the Cause of Your Vertigo
Your doctor can usually determine the cause of your vertigo by asking you questions about your symptoms and doing a physical exam. You may need to have a CT scan or MRI of your brain if the cause of your vertigo remains uncertain. Some people may need a hearing test as well.
Treatment
Treatment really depends on what type of vertigo you have. Often times treatment will be a combination of medication to help with your symptoms in combination with special exercises.
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See your doctor right away if you have vertigo and any of the following:
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New or severe headache
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Fever that is higher than 38°C
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Loss of consciousness
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Changes with your vision such as double vision or blurred vision
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Trouble speaking or hearing
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Weakness in one side of your body
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Facial droop (medical emergency)
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Vomiting