- 1. Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo (BPPV)
- 2. Labyrinthites
- 3. Drug poisoning
- 4. Neurological causes
- 5. Infections
- How to differentiate vertigo from other types of dizziness?
Vertigo is a type of dizziness in which there is loss of body balance, with the feeling that the environment or the body itself is rotating, usually accompanied by nausea, vomiting, sweat and pallor, and may also arise with tinnitus or decreased hearing.
Most of the time, vertigo is caused by diseases related to the ear, called peripheral vestibular syndromes, or popularly labyrinthitis, which include diseases such as benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), vestibular neuritis, Meniere's disease and drug poisoning, for example. However, they can also arise due to a more severe neurological disorder, which includes stroke, migraine or brain tumor.
It is also important to remember that there are several other causes of dizziness, both due to cardiovascular causes, such as pressure drop or arrhythmias, balance disorders, orthopedic diseases or changes in vision, or even psychological causes. Therefore, whenever symptoms of vertigo or dizziness are persistent, it is important to go through the doctor's evaluation. Learn to identify the signs to differentiate the main causes of dizziness.
Thus, among the main causes of vertigo are:
1. Benign Positional Paroxysmal Vertigo (BPPV)
It is a common cause of vertigo, caused by the detachment and movement of the otoliths, which are small crystals that are located in the ear channels, responsible for part of the balance. Vertigo usually lasts a few seconds or minutes, usually triggered by changes in the position of the head, such as looking up or to the side.
The treatment of crises is done with drugs that function as vestibular suppressants, such as antihistamines, antiemetics and sedatives. However, the treatment for this disease is done with physiotherapeutic maneuvers to reposition the otoliths, using movements that use gravity, such as the Epley maneuver, for example.
2. Labyrinthites
Although any vertigo is known as labyrinthitis, it actually happens when there is inflammation of ear structures that make up the labyrinth. Some causes of inflammation include:
- Ménière's disease: it is an unclear cause of labyrinthitis, probably due to excess fluid in the ear canals, and causes symptoms of vertigo, tinnitus, a feeling of fullness and hearing loss. Understand what it is and how to treat this syndrome. Vestibular neuritis: it is caused by inflammation of the nerve in the ear region, called the vestibular nerve, and causes acute and intense vertigo, which improves in a few weeks. Understand the causes of vestibular neuritis and what to do.
In addition, there may also be the so-called metabolic labyrinth disease, caused by an increase in insulin, diabetes, hyper or hypothyroidism and an increase in cholesterol or triglycerides, which can alleviate with the treatment of these diseases.
3. Drug poisoning
Certain medications can have a toxic effect on regions of the ear, such as the cochlea and vestibule, and some of them are antibiotics, anti-inflammatories, diuretics, antimalarials, chemotherapy or anticonvulsants, for example. Find out which are the main remedies that cause dizziness.
In some people, substances such as alcohol, caffeine and nicotine can trigger or worsen seizures, which consist of dizziness, tinnitus and hearing loss. To treat, it may be necessary to interrupt or modify the medication used, when indicated by the doctor.
4. Neurological causes
Brain tumor, traumatic brain injury and stroke are neurological causes of vertigo, which usually develop in a more severe, persistent and without improvement with the usual treatment. In addition, they may be accompanied by other signs and symptoms, such as headache, impaired vision, decreased muscle strength and difficulties in speech, for example.
Another disease that must be remembered is vestibular migraine, when vertigo is caused by a migraine, which lasts minutes to hours, depending on the intensity of the crisis, and is accompanied by other migraine symptoms, such as throbbing headache, vision of bright spots and nausea.
The treatment of these neurological causes must be guided by the neurologist, according to the type of disease and the needs of each person.
5. Infections
Bacterial or viral infections of the inner ear, usually after otitis, cause an abrupt picture of vertigo and decreased hearing. After confirmation of infection by medical evaluation, treatment is carried out with corticosteroids and antibiotics, and surgical drainage of the accumulated secretion may be necessary.
Watch the following video and find out which exercises can help to stop dizziness:
How to differentiate vertigo from other types of dizziness?
Non-vertigo dizziness usually causes feelings referred to by people as "sudden weakness", "fluctuation", "imminent fainting", "blacked out vision" or "vision with bright spots", since it is common to be caused by lack of oxygen in the brain due to situations like pressure drop, anemia or cardiac changes, for example.
It can also be referred to as the feeling of "instability" or that "it will fall at any moment", when there is some situation that causes imbalance, such as osteoarthritis, arthritis, loss of sensation of the feet due to diabetes, in addition to visual or hearing difficulties.
In vertigo, on the other hand, there is a feeling that the environment or the body itself is "spinning" or "swaying", associated with loss of balance, nausea and vomiting. Despite these differences, it can be difficult to understand what kind of dizziness it is, so it is important to undergo medical evaluation, so that the correct diagnosis is made.
