Vertigo is a feeling of dizziness where things appear to be moving when it is not. In simple words, it is also known as motion sickness.
When a person suffers from Vertigo then he sees all the things around him in motion while it is static. This disease is a result of any head injury in the past when the fluid gets leaked between the membranes of the inner ear and middle air or because of ear surgery. They have a shaky feeling that whatever object their eyes see is spinning. It generally appears for a few minutes in a day and generally, such dizziness stops after a few weeks. In some cases, if it continues to appear more often than it can lead to nausea and have the potential to do permanent harm to your ear followed by nausea.
Vertigo has two types one is Peripheral vertigo and second one is Central Vertigo. Relevant information is explained in detail about its causes, diagnosis, what to do in case of vertigo and who are at the risk of disease.
Types of Vertigo
There are two types of vertigo. The one is peripheral vertigo and the other one is central vertigo.
1. Peripheral Vertigo
Peripheral vertigo is the major problem that most people suffer from.
Peripheral is caused when there is a defect in the inner part of your ear that causes inflammation leading to the problem of hearing and as a result vertigo forms. If the bone is grown abnormally in the inner ear, it also leads to peripheral vertigo.
2. Central Vertigo
Central vertigo is a condition when there is an abnormal bone growth in the brain. It is generally a tumor, a vestibular migraine that is the factor of central vertigo.
Major causes that lead to Vertigo
Certain conditions have the potential to cause Vertigo and many more complications to the body.
1. Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo
When an inner part of the ear gets mutilated or there is a sudden blow to your head or when your ear gets harmed during ear operation, then the chances of Benign Paroxysmal is high. You will feel severe dizziness too high and could lead you to fall. It makes your mind unstable. These are often related to migraines and if it doesn’t vanish for too long then you need to consult a doctor.
Senior citizens and women are more prone to the risk of Benign Paroxysmal. People with hypertension, stroke, migraine, and with high levels of cholesterol should be more careful as this disease is easily spread on such patients.
2. Labyrinthitis
When a person suffers from Laybrinthis then there will be swelling in the inner part of the ear. You will feel a sense of irritation in that area. There are two types of labyrinthitis disease, first is viral labyrinthitis and the second one is bacterial labyrinthitis. The former one is generally caused by cold, flu, or any other viral infectious disease, and the latter one is caused when bacteria enter into the inner ear severely affecting one of your ears. Those who have respiratory problems, head injury, ear infections, and measles have a greater risk of labyrinthitis. You should avoid alcohol, smoking, and mental stress in such situations. The labyrinthitis disease goes away after a few days on its own but if the problem persists then you should consult the doctor immediately. He will take your physical examination and will take an evaluation of your neurons. If labyrinthitis is left untreated then you may suffer hearing loss too.
3. Meniere’s disease
When the fluid aggregates excessively in the inner part of the ear causing the disease to develop which is known as Meniere’s disease. If you are suffering from this disease then you will experience a shaky experience that lasts for 20 minutes or 1 hour. You will have difficulty hearing for a while and will feel some pressure in your ear. Such incidents happen from time to time and could also lead to nausea. The exact cause of Meniere’s disease is not known but there are speculations that allergies, viral infections lead to this disease.
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6 Effective ways to deal with sudden dizziness!
- Whenever you’re feeling a sensation of dizziness in your head then just lay down with your eyes closed for some time. You can slowly move your head from left to right and forward and backward.
- It is important to keep your body hydrated so always try to drink more and more freshwater.
- Sleep is important so try to get a sound sleep for at least 8 hours every day because if you don’t get enough sleep then you will be fatigued all day making your condition worse.
- You can play handball or light games where you focus on a particular object.
- Stay in a room with dim lights and when you go out keep your focus on one thing at a time don’t roll your eyes much.
- Avoid driving cars, bikes, or any vehicle by yourself because if you got dizzy in between then you could meet with an accident.
- You can walk up and down on stairs repeatedly
- It is best to avoid alcohol consumption and smoking because it can make your brain more delusional leading to worse health.
- You can do some exercise under the supervision of a physical therapist who will monitor your progress and guide you on the exercise that will benefit you.
11 Most Common reasons that often lead to Vertigo
- Vertigo can be caused by a stroke.
- Due to otosclerosis, an abnormal bone grows in the inner ear causing vertigo and also hearing loss.
- If you have multiple sclerosis disease, then you will experience vertigo in later stages of your life.
- If you are exposed to certain things that you are allergic to then you may have dizziness too.
- Migraine commonly leads to dizziness.
- When a tumor builds upon the nerve connecting with the inner ear and brain leads to vertigo,
- When you have an ear infection and there is an abnormal growth of bone just behind your eardrum.
- When there is a tear in between the membrane of the middle ear and inner ear leading to leakage and as a result, the inner ear gets filled with fluid
- If you have Parkinson’s disease then you may feel a tremor in your hands and rigidness in your body, it is a movement disorder that slows down your body movement and can also lead to vertigo.
- Women suffer from dizziness during pregnancy due to hormonal imbalance, pressure on blood pressure, and low blood sugar.
- Medicines such as sedatives, antidepressants, tranquilizers, etc cause side effects in the body leading to vertigo.
How is Vertigo diagnosed?
Four types of tests are done by the physical examiner to know the severity of Vertigo. It is important to determine this disease at the earliest if you feel some dizziness.
The following are the test:
1. Head-thrust test
This is a small and easy test the examiner will ask you to look at his nose while turning his head from left to right. You need to focus on him to improve your eye movement.
2. Romberg test
In this test, you open and close your eyes while standing on your feet.
3. Fukuda-Unterberger’s test
You are required to stride without leaning on the wall and closing your eyes.
4. Dix-Hallpike test
You will be asked to lie down while your head lies upwards and the examiner will focus on the movements of your eyes.
Additionally, there are two image test for a more detailed evaluation of Vertigo condition:
- CT scan
- MRI
Conclusion
Vertigo is a type of illusion where you see the surroundings around you to be spinning. It is usually caused when there is leakage of fluid in the inner ear causing infection in that region. It can lead to nausea and hearing loss. It usually stays for some weeks and is treated in itself but doctor consultation is recommended to determine the type of disease and its complications in the future. Proper physical examination and tests such as CT scan and MRI would be helpful for the proper evaluation of disease. You are risking your ears for life if you do not receive aid as vertigo can cause permanent damage to your inner ears and hearing loss. So, if you feel you have developed the symptoms of the disease, immediately consult your doctor.
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