Vertigo: What Should You Know?
By Alan Peterson, MD
What Is Vertigo?
Vertigo is the feeling that you are moving when you are staying still. You might feel like you are spinning around, or that everything else is spinning around you.
Who Gets Vertigo and Why?
Anyone can get vertigo. The most common kind of vertigo is called Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo or BPPV.
Another kind of vertigo is Acute Vestibular Neuronitis, or AVN. AVN is caused by the swelling of the nerve in your ear.
A third kind of vertigo is Meniere’s disease. This is a disease of the organs that give you a sense of balance and direction. Symptoms include vertigo, hearing loss, ringing in the ears, and a feeling of fullness in the ears. If your doctor thinks you have Meniere’s disease, he or she may give you a hearing test or send you to a specialist.
Vertigo can also be a side effect of some medications. Panic disorder and stress may also cause vertigo in some people.
Some kinds of vertigo are more serious like cerebrovascular disease. People with this have blocked arteries or partially blocked arteries to the brain that can cause stokes or mini-strokes.
How Do I Know If I Have Vertigo?
Your doctor will ask you questions about when and why you feel dizzy, and how bad it is. Your doctor will also need to know about any other medical problems you may have and what medicines you take.
Your doctor might check you head, neck, heart and reflexes. Your doctor might also ask you to do some exercises in the office that could cause you to get dizzy.
How Is Vertigo Treated?
The treatment depends on the cause. Some medicines can help relieve vertigo. Patients with Benign Paroxysmal Positional Vertigo can do exercises to reduce or to get rid of their symptoms.
These can sometimes be learned in the doctor’s office or at the Occupational Medicine Department at Willow Lakes. Some vertigo goes away on its own. Your doctor will tell you which treatments are best for you.
Dr. Peterson is a doctor of Family and Community Medicine at the Walter L. Aument Family Health Center, 317 S. Chestnut St., Quarryville.
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