Vertigo

Vertigo (VER-ti-go) is dizziness which causes people to feel that they or their surroundings are moving, often causing loss of balance.

What Is Vertigo?

Vertigo is different from other forms of dizziness because it is caused by disturbances in the structures that control the sense of balance. These structures include the vestibule and semicircular canals in the ear, the vestibular (ves-TIB-u-lar) nuclei in the brain stem, and the eyes. There are many different kinds of vertigo.

Benign paroxysmal vertigo of childhood 

Benign paroxysmal (par-ok-SIZ-mal) vertigo is a condition that sometimes affects toddlers, who may suddenly lose their balance, roll their eyes, and become pale, dizzy, or nauseated for a few minutes. They usually recover quickly and often outgrow this form of vertigo.

Positional vertigo 

Positional vertigo may occur following changes in head position, especially when lying on one ear or when tipping back the head to look up. The symptoms tend to appear in clusters that last for several days. The vertigo begins several seconds after head movement and usually stops in under a minute. Some of the causes of positional vertigo are trauma to the ear, an ear infection, ear surgery, oг degeneration due to aging inner ear organs that are involved in balance. Surgery can sometimes correct positional vertigo.

Ménière's disease 

Sometimes called Ménière's syndrome or recurrent aural vertigo, Ménière's discase is caused by damage to the balance organs in the ears, although doctors often do not know the cause of the damage. In addition to vertigo, symptoms are likely to include tinnitus (ti-NY-tis), which is a ringing, buzzing, or roaring in the cars. It may also cause gradual deafness in the affected ear. Ménière's disease can be controlled with medication, but it cannot be cured.