Vertigo
Vertigo
Vertigo can be described as the sensation one experiences in which the world around you seems to be spinning. It can cause you to feel dizzy and unbalanced. Vertigo is a symptom not a diagnosis and a search needs to be done for the cause of the vertigo.
Vertigo can be caused by a myriad of reasons such as:
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV)
- Vestibular neuronitis
- Meniere’s disease
- Labyrinthitis
- Persistent Postural-Perceptual Dizziness (PPPD)
- Migraine
- Certain medication
- Stroke
- Cardiac and blood pressure disorders
- Head injuries
- Hyperventilation
- Brain tumours
There are two main categories of vertigo that one could experience:
a) Peripheral vertigo where the underlying cause is problems in the inner ear
b) Central vertigo where the underlying cause is a brain problem such as stroke or tumour. Vertigo is usually not a dangerous condition, but the underlying root cause could be.
What does Vertigo feel like? Here are some symptoms to help you identify if what you are experiencing is in fact vertigo:
- Spinning sensation
- Eyes moving from side to side rapidly
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Head movements will trigger spinning.
- May be accompanied by headache, ringing in ears or hearing loss
