Dizziness
Dizziness | |
---|---|
ENT surgery, Otorhinolaryngology; if the dizziness is confirmed to be a symptom of a nervous system disorder, then neurology | |
Symptoms | Feeling of things are spinning or moving when they are not, lightheadedness, giddiness, or unsteadiness |
Dizziness is an imprecise term that can refer to a sense of disorientation in space, vertigo, or lightheadedness.[1] It can also refer to disequilibrium[2] or a non-specific feeling, such as giddiness or foolishness.[3]
Dizziness is a common medical complaint, affecting 20–30% of persons.
- Vertigo is the sensation of spinning or having one's surroundings spin about them. Many people find vertigo very disturbing and often report associated nausea and vomiting.[6]
- Presyncope describes lightheadedness or feeling faint; the name relates to syncope, which is actually fainting.
- Disequilibriumis the sensation of being off balance and is most often characterized by frequent falls in a specific direction. This condition is not often associated with nausea or vomiting.
- Non-specific dizziness may be psychiatric in origin. It is a diagnosis of exclusion and can sometimes be brought about by hyperventilation.[3]
Mechanism and causes
Many conditions cause dizziness because multiple parts of the body are required for maintaining balance including the inner ear, eyes, muscles, skeleton, and the nervous system.[7] Thus dizziness can be caused by a variety of problems and may reflect a focal process (such as one affecting balance or coordination) or a diffuse one (such as a toxic exposure or low perfusion state).[8]
Common causes of dizziness include:
- Inadequate blood supply to the brain due to:
- A sudden fall in blood pressure[7]
- Heart problems or artery blockages[7][9]
- iron deficiency anemia[9]
- Loss or distortion of vision or visual cues[7]
- Standing too quickly/prolonged standing[8]
- Disorders of the inner ear[7]
- Dehydration
- Distortion of brain/nervous function by medications such as anticonvulsants and sedatives[7]
- Dysfunction of cervical proprioception[10][11]
- Side effects from other prescription drugs, such as proton-pump inhibitors[12] or Coumadin (warfarin)[13]
Diagnosis
Differential diagnosis
Dizziness may occur from an abnormality involving the brain (in particular the
While traditional medical teaching has focused on determining the cause of dizziness based on the category (such as vertigo vs. presyncope), research published in 2017 suggests that this analysis is of limited clinical utility.[16][17]
Medical conditions that often have dizziness as a symptom include:[14][18][7][19]
- Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo
- Ménière's disease
- Labyrinthitis
- Otitis media
- Brain tumor
- Acoustic neuroma
- Motion sickness
- Ramsay Hunt syndrome
- Fatal Familial Insomnia
- Migraine
- Multiple sclerosis
- Pregnancy
- Low blood pressure (hypotension)
- Low blood oxygen content (hypoxemia)
- Heart attack[20]
- Iron deficiency (anemia)
- Vitamin B12 deficiency
- Low blood sugar (hypoglycemia)
- Hormonal changes (e.g. thyroid disease, menstruation, pregnancy)
- Panic disorder
- Hyperventilation
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Age-diminished visual, balance, and perception of spatial orientation abilities
- Stroke; cause of isolated dizziness in 0.7% of people who present to the emergency department[6]
Epidemiology
About 20–30% of the population report to have experienced dizziness at some point in 2008.[6]
Disequilibrium
In medicine, disequilibrium refers to impaired
See also
- Balance disorder
- Broken escalator phenomenon
- Chronic subjective dizziness
- Coriolis effect (perception)
- Equilibrioception
- Ideomotor phenomenon
- Illusions of self-motion
- Motion sickness
- Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
- Proprioception
- Seasickness
- Spatial disorientation
- The spins, a state of dizziness and disorientation due to intoxication
- Vertigo
References
- ^ Dizziness at the U.S. National Library of Medicine Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
- ^ Reeves AG, Swenson RS (2008). "Chapter 14: Evaluation of the Dizzy Patient". Disorders of the Nervous System: A Primer. Dartmouth Medical School. Archived from the original on 2011-08-24. Retrieved 2011-05-24.
- ^ a b Branch Jr WT, Barton JJ (February 10, 2011). "Approach to the patient with dizziness". UpToDate.
- S2CID 21444226.
- PMID 20704166.
- ^ PMID 19834858.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Dizziness and Vertigo". Merck Manual. 2009. Archived from the original on 2018-07-05. Retrieved 2010-08-12.
- ^ a b Norris C (4 July 2020). "What Causes Dizziness? Its Symptoms, Control and Risk Factors". Healthroid.
- ^ a b "10 Surprising Facts About Dizziness and Vertigo". EverydayHealth.com. Retrieved 2021-11-14.
- PMID 31844531.
- PMID 34804305.
- ^ Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "Drug Safety and Availability – FDA Drug Safety Communication: Low magnesium levels can be associated with long-term use of Proton Pump Inhibitor drugs (PPIs)". www.fda.gov. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ "Common Side Effects of Coumadin (Warfarin Sodium) Drug Center – RxList". rxlist.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- ^ S2CID 9923013.
- ^ Lawson BD, Rupert AH, Kelley AM (2013). "Mental Disorders Comorbid with Vestibular Pathology". Psychiatric Annals. 43 (7): 324.
- PMID 28145669.
- PMID 26231272.
- PMID 19272508.
- PMID 20086285.
- PMID 20956226.
- PMID 21250072.
External links
- Dizzytimes.com Archived 2020-05-27 at the Wayback Machine Online Community for People with Vertigo and Dizziness
- Dysautonomia Youth Network of America, Inc.