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What is vertigo?
 

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What is vertigo?

Vertigo derives from a Latin verb ‘vertere' meaning ‘to turn', and it describes any form of unreal sensation or illusion of movement between you and the objects around you or the surrounding itself. In some cases, this sensation may last for few minutes, but in other cases it may last for hours, days or even months. The defining factor of vertigo is dizziness, some of the other symptoms of vertigo are:

  • The sensation of spinning
  • The sensation of disorientation
  • Loss of equilibrium

When you have vertigo, every object around you will appear to be spinning or moving.

 

What causes vertigo?

 

Although its actual cause is unknown, this false hallucination of movement (vertigo) often results from inflamed vestibular portion of the inner ear. When the nerve endings of the inner ear become inflamed, you are likely to become dizzy, because your balance functioning gets impaired.

In humans, the inner ear is a an organs that control equilibrium and balance. Through nerve connections to the brain, these organs function to sense position and control balance of the body. So when the nerve tracts leading from the semi-circular canals in the inner ear get irritated, a person looses balance and become dizzy (vertigo symptoms).

Here are certain irritants that affect the inner ear and may result in the sufferer experiencing vertigo:

  • Bacteria
  • Viruses
  • Allergies
  • Nerve inflammation
  • Toxic substances
  • Tumors
  • Abnormal pressures
  • Excess ear fluids

Other environmental or lifestyle causes of inner ear infections that may leave a sufferer dizzy include alcohol consumption and cigarette smoke.

The following are several other disorders that may cause vertigo if not treated:

  • Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo (BPPV)
  • Meniere's disease
  • Viral labyrinthitis
  • Vascular disease
  • Trauma
  • Otitis media
  • Acoustic neuroma
  • Allergies
  • Auto-immune disease
  • Metabolic disorders
  • Neurological disorders

What are symptoms of vertigo?

 

Vertigo describes different forms of dizziness that a person may feel. So, the general symptom of vertigo is dizziness. However, here are some of the symptoms of vertigo:

  • Unsteadiness
  • Imbalance
  • Vomiting
  • Double vision
  • Spinning
  • Lightheadedness
  • Fainting
  • Disorientation
  • Poor equilibrium
  • Ringing in the ears (tinnitus)
  • Severe dizziness
  • Weakness in the limbs
  • Jerky eye movements
  • Headaches
  • Uncoordinated body movements
  • Slurred speech

Furthermore, vertigo is often associated with nausea, sometimes with hearing loss, a sense of fullness or noises in the ear and vision difficulties.

 
Who is more likely to get vertigo (dizziness)?
 

Anyone can become dizzy due to certain circumstances and medical conditions. However, people who have problematic ears or hearing impairment are more likely to become dizzy. Most cases of vertigo affect people who are older than 40.

Sudden attacks of vertigo can happen to perfectly healthy people during certain hallucinating conditions that affect their vision and brain functioning. This includes activities that trigger sensitivity of the inner ear to certain motions such as swaying and sudden starts and stops. This includes activities like:

  • Sailing
  • Skiing
  • Cycling
  • Riding in a car
  • Horse racing
  • Car race
  • Looking down from great heights

Causes of Vertigo can also be related to vision problems or sudden changes in blood pressure.