Dizziness

When you are feeling unbalanced, lightheaded or woozy, then you suffer from dizziness. The eyes and ears are our sensory organs. Dizziness is affecting them which means in some cases can lead to fainting. When you have dizziness, then you are not having some kind of disease. This is a kind of symptom that you have disorders in your body. Disequilibrium and vertigo can cause you dizziness but the mentioned terms are not the same symptom. When you have some spinning sensation, for example you are feeling that the room is moving, and then you have vertigo [1,2]. Also this symptom can cause you feeling that you lean on one side or you feel motion sickness. When you have loss of your balance or when you feel equilibrium, then you have the other symptom which is known as disequilibrium. When you have dizziness, then the real symptoms of this condition are the nearly fainting and lightheadedness. This is a very common situation. When there is dizziness, then you should not be worried about the underlying cause because in the most cases is not serious. When you have now and then dizziness you should not be worries about it. But if you have noticed that you feel dizziness in long period and you do not know what the real cause for this condition is, then you must visit your doctor as soon as possible.

Causes for dizziness

The most common causes for dizziness are alcohol, migraine and medications. We know that our balance is regulated in the inner ear. This often can lead to dizziness. Also the vertigo can be cause for the dizziness. BPV (benign positional vertigo) is the most common cause for the diseases which are related with dizziness. When someone is changing its position in very quick way, for example when we sit in our bed after we were lying long period, then this leads to dizziness not lasts long. If you suffer from Meniere’s disease, then this kind of disease can also lead to vertigo and dizziness. When you have this kind of disease, then the fluid builds up in your ear which in the most cases is associated with tinnitus, hearing loss and ear fullness. Also when you suffer from an acoustic neuroma, then you have increased chances for getting vertigo and dizziness. This is type of noncancerous tumor which is located on the nerve that is connecting our inner ear to our brain. [1,2] There are also other causes such as

• Ear infection [3]
• Sudden drop in blood pressure [4]
• Dehydration
• Heart muscle disease [5]
• Motion sickness [6]
• Decrease in blood volume
• Heat stroke [5]
• Anxiety disorders [7]
• Excessive exercise [8]
• Hypoglycemia (which means that you have low blood sugar)
• Anemia (which means that you have low iron levels in your body)

There are some cases when you suffer from this condition and then it leads to stroke, malignancy, multiple sclerosis or other types of brain diseases.

Symptoms of dizziness: People who suffer from this condition can show many different symptoms such as

• A false sense of spinning
• Loss of balance
• Lightheadedness or feeling faint
• Feeling of floating or swimming
• Unsteadiness

In some cases when you have dizziness, then you can also feel fainting, vomiting or nausea. If you have noticed that the mentioned symptoms last long period, then you must visit your doctor as soon as possible. If you have repeated bouts of dizziness, then you should also talk with your doctor. Also if you have sudden dizziness along with a head injury, ongoing vomiting, a headache, chest pain, a neck ache, loss of consciousness, a high fever, droopiness of the eye or mouth, blurred vision, numbness or tingling, hearing loss or difficulty speaking, then you must visit your doctor as soon as possible. If you have some of the mentioned symptoms, then this can mean that you have serious health problem. This is a reason why you should talk with your doctor as soon as possible to be sure if you have just dizziness or you have serious disease. Your doctor can ask you when this condition has started, how severe are your symptoms and in which situations you have dizziness. Also he or she will make tests to check your balance. They will tell which medications or natural remedies you should use. But you should know that in some cases the real cause for dizziness is not known so it is difficult to be diagnosed this condition.

Above are some of the symptoms of Dizziness.

References:

[1] Strupp M, Brandt T. Diagnosis and treatment of vertigo and dizziness. Deutsches Ärzteblatt International”. 2008;105(10):173–80.

[2] Halmagyi GM, Cremer PD. Assessment and treatment of dizziness. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. 2000;68:129-34.

[3] Agrup C, Gleeson M, Rudge P. The inner ear and the neurologist. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Psychiatry. 2007;78(2):114–22.

[4] American Academy of Neurology. People who feel dizzy when they stand up may have higher risk of dementia. Science Daily. 2020. Retrieved from sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/08/200806203658

[5] Newman-Toker DE, Dy FJ, Stanton VA, et al. How often is dizziness from primary cardiovascular disease true vertigo? A systematic review. Journal of General Internal Medicine. 2008;23(12):2087–94.

[6] Lackner JR. Motion sickness: more than nausea and vomiting. Experimental Brain Research. 2014;232(8):2493–510.

[7] Kelm Z, Klapchar K, Kieliszak CR, Selinsky C. Psychogenic dizziness: An important but overlooked differential diagnosis in the workup of the dizzy patient. The Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2018;118:e22-e27.

[8] Teixeira AR, Wender MH, Goncalves AK, et al. Dizziness, physical exercise, falls, and depression in adults and the elderly. International Archives of Otorhinolaryngology. 2016;20(2).