Vertigo refers to the perception that the world around you is whirling or spinning or sometimes a sensation that inside of your head is whirling, more often than not, it leads to loss of balance. Simply put, it is a condition of dizziness most commonly triggered by an abrupt change in position of the head.
According to the best ENT specialists in Chennai, causative agents are diverse – ranging from BPPV (Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo), to Meniere’s disease (where there is change in the pressure of in the ear caused by accumulation and over secretion of ear fluid), Vestibular Neuritis (inner ear inflammation), Migraine, complications of diabetes and pregnancy-related issues.
Symptoms of Vertigo
There are a lot of signs that can be traced in a vertigo patient, most commonly reported to ENT doctors in Chennai include –
1. One may feel like everything around him is spinning or swaying in no discernible pattern, dizziness, tilting on a side or getting pulled into a certain direction.
2. The floor may seem unleveled tilted or he may feel that he’s being pulled into a direction by an external force or thing may keep zooming out and zooming in back to vision.
3. A patient may lose his body balance finding it difficult to walk or administer his stance.
4. Nausea, sweating, and vomiting are the primary acquaintances of vertigo attacks or/ along with spinning and losing balance.
5. Abnormal eye movements like twitching or jerking (technically known as “nystagmus”) may also be noticed, these might as well lead to visual disturbances.
6. A patient is prone to severe headache and bouts of fever pre or post vertigo attacks.
7. Physical weakness and decreased level of consciousness are also commonly noticed in vertigo patients.
These symptoms are indicators too. Some of these and can last for a few minutes and some even a few hours, and may be chronic or episodic – depending upon the severity of the medical condition and underlying cause. If vertigo attacks are triggered by labyrinthitis, they may be accompanied by hearing loss or consistent ringing in the ears.
Treatment of Vertigo
In most cases, vertigo demolishes with time, without any treatment. For the times when it doesn’t, the course of medical treatment is based on the cause of it. Medication of some classes of prochlorperazine and antihistamines are used believes the best ENT specialist in Chennai.
Epley maneuver is used to cure BPPV, it’s a practice of uncomplicated, organized head movements. Vestibular Rehabilitation is another option that focuses on strengthening the vestibular system. In another treatment, Canalith Repositioning maneuver, the calcium in the canal is transferred to an inner ear organ in where it’s absorbed by the body.
If Meniere’s disease is the causative factor, the patients are placed on a low salt diet in addition to symptomatic treatment by ENT specialists.
Though Vertigo by itself is not a fatal disease but it can put you in life-threatening situations if you fall or get an attack say while driving or when alone or in any other complex place or situation. Vertigo is treatable and avoidable in most cases, book your appointment with an ENT specialist in Chennai if you feel any of the symptoms.