Vertigo (cont.)
Dizziness
In general, physicians refer to dizziness as a feeling of being woozy, drunk,
unsteady, or giddy. There is often a feeling of imbalance (disequilibrium)
without a true sensation of turning or spinning. Dizziness is a general-purpose,
rather imprecise term used to describe the sensation of imbalance (sensory
disorientation). Although patients often use the word dizziness to describe
balance or inner ear problems, it is typically not caused by a disorder of the
inner ear.
Vertigo
Vertigo refers to an hallucination of motion that can be linear (straight
ahead), falling, or rocking. It is often described as a spinning, turning, or
whirling sensation. What's more, the spinning may be one of self-rotation
(subjective vertigo) or rotation of the surrounding environment (objective
vertigo). In most cases, the symptom of vertigo implies a disorder of the inner
ear or vestibular system.
Lightheadedness
Lightheadedness refers to the typical sensation one experiences prior to a
fainting episode. Associated symptoms can include sweating, feeling cold,
shortness of breath, numbness around the mouth or of the fingers, and a dimming
or tunneling of vision. Lightheadedness is caused by a momentary decrease in
blood flow to the brain. This sensation can occur for a number of reasons
including medication side effects and heart (cardiac) and blood vessel
(vascular) problems. For instance, orthostatic hypotension is low blood pressure
that occurs upon standing. In this condition, the low blood pressure decreases
blood flow to the brain, and thereby, causes lightheadedness.
Contrary to popular belief, high blood pressure (hypertension) itself does
not cause lightheadedness. Hypertensive patients may experience lightheadedness,
however, when their blood pressure drops for any reason. It happens that the
most common reason for such a drop in blood pressure is a response to their
blood pressure medications. Lightheadedness is usually not a common complaint
from patients with vestibular problems.
Next: Motion sickness »
- promethazine, Phenergan - Explains the medication promethazine (Phenergan), a drug used to prevent motion sickness, nausea or vomiting, itching associated with allergies or for sedation.
- CT Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography) - CT Scan (Computerized Axial Tomography, CAT scan) is a procedure that assists in diagnosing tumors, fractures, bony structures, and infections in the organs and tissues of the body.
- Migraine - Learn about migraine headache including symptoms such as intense throbbing pain in the temple area of head. Migraine triggers vary from person to person.
Latest Medical News
Neurology RSS